The Iron Toa

End of YrentaChapter Twenty-one==Merbesi's Village, Southern Continent, Matoran Universe==~543 AGC~ Vilam reappeared three bio above the ground. Before she could control her fall, she landed hard on her front. Dazed, she shook her head and got up as quickly as she could. There was another flash at the edge of the forest surrounding the village, and she ran after it. As she ran after the second teleporter she had encountered in the past three weeks, and the second non-Rahi opponent in that time, she missed the Mask of Speed she used to have. That Kanohi had been lost years ago in a battle with Frostelus, and she had since gotten used to relying only on one mask, as her brothers did. But there were times when it would have been very useful. She heard the other three Toa behind her, but she was already far ahead. Once again, she was going to face the teleporting being alone. A doubt entered her mind, a small thought that she should wait for her friends, but she ignored it. If she waited, her quarry would escape.There – another beam of light flashed between the trees. It seemed the thief could not teleport far each time. Vilam sprinted, catching up, and when there was another flash, she could estimate where the beam would end. Aiming carefully through the trees, she released a bolt of lightning that was strong enough to stun an average being. Under the electric crackle the bolt made, she heard a voice cry out. It was not a voice like what she had expected. It sounded much smaller and weaker. Vilam did not let her guard down, and she had her sword ready as she prepared to apprehend the unknown being. When she found her quarry, she nearly dropped her weapon in surprise. Lying still at the base of a tree was a Matoran. Vilam whispered a lamentation as she investigated the motionless body. She had not accounted for the thief being such a small being, and had shocked the Matoran with potentially lethal strength.To her relief, the Matoran – a Ga-Matoran, she noticed – stirred. Before the Matoran opened her eyes, she suffered a spasm. Vilam could sense no electricity shocking her, and held the Matoran still until she stopped twitching to prevent the little being from hurting herself. The Ga-Matoran looked small and weak, even for a Matoran, which were usually quite strong for their size. Her blue and silver armor was filthy and dented. Vilam looked upon the small thief with pity, and wondered why she had been stealing from the village. Obviously, she needed the food and supplies she had stolen to survive alone, but she could have gotten help. Vilam expected the red-armored beings would have been sympathetic, and there were other villages nearby besides. And she could think of no explanation for the theft of the other objects. She helped the Matoran up and greeted her.“Are you alright now?” she asked, and got no answer. “What are you doing out here?”“What's going on?” said Paqyar as he and the others showed up. “Is that a Matoran?”“You mean to tell me these people ignored the story of everything in a large area dying mysteriously, and yet they were freaked out by one Matoran?” said Iskanemo.“The Matoran was actually affecting their lives, and only one of them saw the blighted area,” said Vilam. “And this Matoran can teleport somehow. I wonder how.”“Hey, what are these?” said Imlen, picking up a pair of matching tools.Imlen experimented with the tools, holding one in each hand. He pressed a button on one and found himself teleported several bio away. He aimed the tools at a spot beside his friends and pressed the button. Nothing happened. He waited a brief moment for them to recharge and tried again. This time he reappeared next to them. He looked around for an object to test the tools on, and found a small boulder. By aiming one tool at the boulder and another at its intended destination, he was able to teleport it around. He continued to experiment, and found he was able to aim at two objects at once to reverse their positions, as well as teleport things into the air. That whole time, the Ga-Matoran did not respond to the Toa. She just stood and stared ahead blankly. Imlen rejoined the others. Only when he put a hand on the Matoran's shoulder and attempted to escort her into the village did she finally speak.“No, no!” she cried, and Imlen let her go.“Sorry,” the Toa of Plasma hastily apologized. “But you've been stealing from these people. Don't worry, we can help you. Can you tell us what's going on?”“No help... dust for water... volcano's gone,” the Ga-Matoran babbled.“Did I do this to her?” said Vilam.“I don't think so,” said Iskanemo. “I think this poor Matoran is insane.”“Idris!” the Matoran shouted suddenly. “Idris, don't... don't go!”“If only Mozmana was here,” said Paqyar. “We should bring her to her.”Imlen and Iskanemo went to the village to report what had happened. The villagers were relieved that the phantom thief was only a Matoran. They were disappointed that the Toa had not found any of the stolen objects, but Merbesi told the two Toa to leave that to his people. Apparently, it was already hard on his pride that he had had to rely on others to catch the thief. With difficulty, he managed to thank the Toa for their assistance. The two of them then gathered their belongings and the others', and once they returned to the others outside the village, the group traveled north to the coastal settlement Mozmana and Vayrag had gone to. Imlen took the little Ga-Matoran by the hand, and she allowed him to lead her. Occasionally, she would exclaim something. The Toa could understand most of the words, but not any meaning they might have had.“I remember,” she said that night as they prepared to make camp.“Remember what?” said Vilam, excited by her sudden coherence.“Why did I go? Why did they go? Was it the same reason? No, they went up, I went...” the Matoran whimpered quietly and stopped talking.“Any idea what happened to her?” asked Paqyar.“Something traumatic,” said Imlen. “But I'm not sure what.”The next day the four Toa and the Ga-Matoran came to the coastal village. This one was populated by several types of Matoran. Some of them were Ga-Matoran, but none of them looked like the Matoran the Toa had found. Most of the buildings were huts of wood, though a few were made of green plants in traditional Ga-Matoran style, and a few larger buildings were stone. The Toa were led to a boat maker's home, in which their teammates were lodging. There was not room for all of them in the hut, so they went outside. The Ga-Matoran was introduced to Mozmana, who attempted to tend to her while the others discussed the next step. Apparently, there was no boat in the village large enough for the six of them. The locals informed them about another village to the east. They decided to go there, after resting and settling the matter of the insane Ga-Matoran. They looked for Mozmana, and found she had taken the Ga-Matoran to the edge of the village, where it was quiet.“It's clear she has suffered severe mental trauma,” said Mozmana as the Ga-Matoran sat silently. “There seem to have been two causes, each separate traumatic events. Yet it seems to me the first such event was long before the second, and the memories of it were lost until after the second event. That is to say, a more recent disaster uncovered memories of an earlier one, and the weight of them both has damaged her mind, and she mixes the events together.”“Can you repair her mind?” said Vilam hopefully.“With or without my power, it would take many months,” said Mozmana, shaking her head sadly. “There is no simple wound in her mind, but rather deeply ingrained anguish. I can help reorder her mind, help her control her fear, and feel her memories – which are vague – but to restore her completely...”“Turaga Jovan!” the Ga-Matoran exclaimed. “Turaga! Come back!”“I did not feel that coming,” said Mozmana, clearly surprised. “Have any of you heard of this Turaga Jovan?”“Not me,” said Imlen as the others also responded negative. “I wonder what I will find if I look into the past of her teleporter tools.”Imlen picked up the tools and activated his mask. Immediately, he regretted it. He saw a nightmarish land, with a red sky and gray ground. All was terribly wrong there. Dust poured over mountains, turning stagnant pools to mud. An exhausted-looking Matoran sat on a rock, and before he could get up, he was turned to stone. In a forge worked by terrified slaves, the tools Imlen held in the present were carefully crafted into their final shape. All that flashed through Imlen's mind in a second, and that was all he could bear to watch. If the Ga-Matoran had lived there, it was no surprise that she had gone mad. As he returned to the present, he found he had fallen over and was hyperventilating.“See something bad?” quipped Iskanemo as he helped him up.“Yes,” Imlen croaked. “Some... nightmare land...”“Dust falls!” the Ga-Matoran cried. “And waterfalls – a giant waterfall! The land is gone, the land is gone...”“I saw dust falls,” said Imlen. “And 'a giant waterfall'... do you think she's talking about the center of the continent?”“That would make sense, especially since she stole a map of that area as it used to be,” said Mozmana. “But that does not explain the other event that happened, and that place you – ”“Karzahni!” the Ga-Matoran suddenly screamed.“Karzahni?” echoed Paqyar. “That place is just a myth, isn't it? Or is it a mythical person?”“She has some very painful memories,” said Mozmana. “I do not wish to make her experience them again.”“What about her name?” said Vilam. “Does she remember it?”“Her name was slowly being forgotten as a result of living alone, but I pulled the memory forth from obscurity. Her name is Sisretan,” said Mozmana, and the Ga-Matoran looked at her as if she had addressed her. “That, at least, is a step in the right direction. If we could take her with us until she was cured, I would, but our future will be far too dangerous. The villagers here have agreed to accept her into their community. These are good people, I sense. They will care for her.”“So, we'd better get some rest before heading to the next village,” said Imlen. “Let's hope that's the last stop before we can finally get back onto the ocean.”“Wait, I have an idea,” said Paqyar, and he went into town.Paqyar went to talk some Matoran, and the other Toa introduced Sisretan to her new comrades. Most of them did not seem happy about accepting a crazed, unwashed kleptomaniac into their community, but it was impossible for them to see the small Ga-Matoran without feeling pity for her. She seemed happier among other Matoran, and soon she walked to the beach. She seemed almost cheerful now, and the villagers allowed her to swim in the sea under careful supervision. When she emerged from the water, her armor was still far from glistening, but it was no longer caked with mud. Imlen smiled as he saw another Ga-Matoran take her hand and lead her off. Then he frowned curiously as he heard a splash from another direction. He and the others went to investigate, and they saw Paqyar standing proudly before an enormous floating piece of wood. Looking closer, Imlen could see the piece of wood was hollow, and very vaguely boat-shaped.“I don't feel like taking another walk,” he said. “So with some help from these fine crafters, I'm going to make our own boat.”“That's... enterprising of you,” said Imlen, and he could not help but laugh.“How long do you suppose it will take?” asked Vilam.“If this hull I just made is adequate, a few days,” said Paqyar.“Just a few days? And there's a catch to this, isn't there?” said Iskanemo. “You won't let us take this to Xia, will you?”“I've come to accept the inevitable,” said Paqyar. “There's no way to talk you out of it, so that's that. So on the contrary, I am planning for this boat to be disposable.”“Show some optimism, Paqyar,” said Mozmana. “We've had a long time to plan this. And Iskanemo, don't be so cynical.”“Something good enough for us to get to Xia, and then scuttle with no great loss,” said Imlen. “I like your idea. Let me know what I can do.”“But we will still need to pay to get this working, right?” said Vilam.“Yes, but the price will be small for something as crude as I have in mind,” said Paqyar. “Especially since I can provide most of the raw materials.”Over the next three days, the Toa and the boat makers of the village worked together to turn the crude hull into a crude functional vessel. Paqyar provided additional wood for the decks, which the Matoran hastily nailed into place. The village's stock of metal was small, and expensive, but the Toa bought enough to make a motor. A few Matoran set to work building the engine, which would make it much faster than a sailboat, yet not as fast as the Steltian vessels. For the craft to be seaworthy and fast enough to serve its purpose, the wooden hull would need to be smoothed and streamlined. A team of Ga-Matoran got to work on that, and the Toa were pleased to see Sisretan working alongside her new friend. She still barely spoke at all, and even then only in mostly random phrases, but she had behaved herself. Mozmana was confident that she would someday communicate clearly with her new brothers and sisters.When the boat was ready, Mozmana went to confer with the villagers one last time about how to help Sisretan recover. While she did that, the other Toa brought the supplies they had salvaged aboard, long with some additional supplies they purchased. When that was done, the Toa thanked the Matoran for their assistance, and said farewell to Sisretan. They promised to visit again someday if they had the chance. The afflicted Ga-Matoran only stared blankly at them, until another Matoran led her away. Then the Toa boarded their new ship and set a course for Xia. The route took them near Stelt, and they turned to take a wide route around that island. In the afternoon of the day after they left the Southern Continent, they came close to the shores of Xia. In keeping with the plan, they kept the vessel well out of sight from the shore as they moved to part of the island they expected to have low security. There they moored the vessel, and rested.They waited until it was late at night, when the stars would have shone down on them had they not been obscured by smog. Then they sailed as close as they dared. The trick here was to avoid detection. Mozmana held up a hand for them to stop, then she and Iskanemo plunged overboard and swam the rest of the way to the shore. Once it was certain they had reached land safely, the other four sailed around to another part of the island. They brought the boat in for a landing at the cargo unloading docks for a factory. As expected, that place was heavily defended. Vilam took the helm while the other three Toa battled against defensive emplacements. When they were close enough, Paqyar hurled Kanoka at the defenses, using his Mask of Rebounding to retrieve and reuse any disks that did not break or fall into the sea.The vessel was quickly riddled with gaping holes, and Vilam brought it against one of the docks. The last major projectile launcher destroyed itself by firing open the boat at dangerously close range. The resulting twin explosions caused the hull to splinter, and the Toa jumped onto the land. Local security was quickly converging on the docks, supported by Brotherhood enforcers. All six of the Toa had landed on Xia, and all was going according to plan.Review

Thanks for reviewing again, Toa Sonis. I myself felt awkward writing about the Toa leaving for seven years, I wasn't quite sure how to do it right. My intention is to eventually smooth that out by writing short stories about their adventurers in other lands. Also, Iskanemo has a point: with the number of the Toa severely dwindling, three Toa have a bigger responsibility than defending one little place. As for the Dark Hunter Vortixx, I am considering having him appear again soon.There's another thing I'm worried about, and it would be nice to get a little feedback. I've made this new Toa team kind of, um, quirky, with the wise and cynical Toa of Air, the Hordika with his savagery, and the Toa of Psionics as the straight-woman, countering those two. I'm worried about that upstaging the personalities of the original three Toa, which seem sort of bland to me. Does it seem like that to the readers?

End of YrentaChapter Twenty==Northeastern Part of the Southern Continent, Matoran Universe==~543 AGC~ The Toa extended the gangplank and stepped onto the beach. Mozmana and Iskanemo carried the corpse of the Brotherhood assassin, and they began to bury it in the sand. The other Toa looked at the boat and noticed it had come quite far ashore. Upon inspecting it more closely, they found it was too far inland. The emergency repairs had caused them to land clumsily, and now the boat was stuck. They tried with all their strength to dislodge it enough to have a chance of launching it again, but they failed. They would need to abandon the vessel. The Toa went back aboard to gather what supplies they could carry, and they found several heavy-duty backpacks. With those, they could carry plenty of basic supplies. Once he had packed a satisfactory amount of necessities, plus some extra, Paqyar filled the remaining space in his pack with Kanoka.“I say we find ourselves a Toa of Water,” he said as he took another disk from a crate. “It would make all this sailing easier.”“Pay attention to what you're doing, Paqyar,” said Imlen. “Who knows what will happen if those go off.”“I have some idea,” said the Toa of the Green. “These are mostly Weaken and Increase Weight disks, but there are also some Teleport and – ”“Whoa, hold it!” Iskanemo interrupted, and he held up a red Kanoka. “Where did this come from?”“What do you mean? Kyulget got all these,” said Paqyar, and then he noticed the symbol painted on the disk Iskanemo held. “Hey, it's a Disk of Fire. Don't see those often.”“Take a closer look,” said the Toa of Air grimly.“It's a power level eight,” Paqyar observed. “The most potent kind. If we could find someone who knew how, we could get a neat Mask of Fire made out of it.”“I find it rather unlikely that the Matoran who owned this boat acquired such a treasure. And if he did, I find it even less likely that he would leave it buried in a random crate,” said Iskanemo. “Imlen, you wear the Great Mask of Psychometry, right? See what you can find out about this disk.”Imlen complied. He saw the Kanoka in storage somewhere he did not recognize. He guessed it was a factory on Xia. That vision passed, and on his second attempt, he saw it being placed in another storage area, far from its original location. This time it was not with other disks, but with an assortment of dangerous tools and weapons. He tried to examine the rest of the room the disk had been stored in, but the apparition would not allow it, and he snapped back to the present. Before losing his focus, he had caught a glimpse of a symbol he recognized.“This belonged to the Brotherhood of Makuta, at least for some time,” he said.“As I thought,” said Iskanemo. “That assassin brought it on board, and could have blown us all up with it. I guess someone found it and stored it with the other disks, and so he lost it.”“If you're right, that was a very close call,” said Vilam.“Let's all be more careful next time,” said the Toa of Air.Paqyar took the fire Kanoka and stored it carefully in a separate pouch. When the Toa were done packing, they began to travel inland together. Mozmana scanned for the presence of Matoran or other locals, and detected none in the area. They headed northwest, towards the northern coast of the continent. Stelt and the Northern Continent were beyond that coast, so the Toa expected to find some locals in that area that could provide them with a boat. For now, they passed through quiet forests, and occasionally a swamp or meadow. They traveled for days, and did not encounter anyone but Rahi. Some of these beasts were aggressive, but none of them could stand before six Toa united. As they traveled, the Toa debated going to Xia. Vilam, Imlen, and Paqyar would all have rather gone directly to Yrenta, but Imlen was willing to go if that was what he had to do to gain the help of the other three. Vilam agreed with him, and Paqyar was still firmly against the idea.As on Nynrah, both the Dark Hunters and the Makuta competed for influence on Xia. The Vortixx grew wealthy from supplying both with high-tech goods, particularly weapons. To keep that arrangement safe, they surely had plenty of security. And with a war going on, the Brotherhood would have their own forces present to protect their assets. Paqyar supposed the only reason Xia was not being torn apart by the conflict was the fact that neither side wanted to lose the island. Iskanemo would have loved to escalate the tension between the two factions until they destroyed each other's production facilities, but he said he would settle for some extensive sabotage. Paqyar still thought it would be suicide. He realized his apprehension could have partially come from the fact that Xia was polluted and barren, in opposition to his element. But that was not as relevant as the danger Paqyar knew was waiting for them.He decided to voice his objection once more. Complaints were all he had left to resort to, as he had already expressed his reasons, but he expected his friends would thank him later for reminding them what a bad idea it was. Before he could form words, Mozmana shushed him. For a moment he thought she had read his mind and preemptively stopped his complaints, then he noticed something up ahead. The landscape abruptly changed from a pleasant green forest to a gray waste, full of black, leafless husks of trees. It was possibly the result of some sort of natural disaster, or perhaps a fire. Yet the Toa felt uneasy as they entered the dead area. That feeling increased when they discovered scattered Rahi carcasses. The bodies seemed to have been dead for months, and the environment had corroded them, but there was no sign of even the smallest scavenger. Not even Protodites had contributed to the decomposition process.“What... what could have done this?” said Iskanemo, who usually seemed so knowledgeable and self-assured.“Killing everything around for kio without leaving a mark on the victims,” said Imlen with disbelief. “I... I've never known of... of anything that could do that.”“Is everything really dead?” said Vilam. “I mean, it looks like it, but...”“I can sense no minds but ours,” said Mozmana. “Anything that I could have detected... they are gone.”“At least that means whatever did that is not around,” said Paqyar, looking around nervously as they walked. “At least, probably not.”“Should we go around?” said Imlen.“Well, something is keeping life from returning here – if it had just killed and left, this would not be so barren after months,” said Vayrag. “So that can't be good.”“Right,” said Mozmana. “This place is making us all uneasy, I can feel it. Let's get around.”The Toa backtracked to the living forest they had left, and headed west without straying into the barren area. After walking for several hours, they came to the western edge of the mysterious devastation, and they traveled north along it. The blighted area went on for several kio on their right, while the only sign anything was amiss in the forest to the left was the scarcity of wildlife. The local Rahi were also afraid of the nearby wasteland, apparently. The Toa were relieved when they finally left the place behind them, but were still nervous, lest whatever had obliterated all life in that area arrive to do the same to them. Yet a kio past the dead land, nature was normal, as if the terrifying place not far to the south did not exist. Soon the Toa stopped to rest, but only for a brief time, and they moved quickly when they resumed their travel.They traveled for a few more days, and they came to a small village that they estimated was about twenty kio from the coast. They noticed the stone huts that formed the village were rather large, and they soon discovered why. It was not a community of Matoran, but rather a species of red-armored beings that were about the same size as Toa. A few of them wore Kanohi, and these appeared to be the more privileged or important ones. The villagers were surprised to see the Toa, which was to be expected in such a place and time. A message was passed to the village leader, who remained shut away in his home. Soon his decision was reported, and the Toa were allowed to take shelter in the village, as it was nearly night. Most of the locals ignored the Toa, but not all were indifferent. Some of them seemed relieved, and hopeful for something.“I can sense your anticipation,” Mozmana said, stepping out of the hut the Toa had been staying in and addressing a nearby villager. “Is there something we can do for you?”“Perhaps,” said the local hesitantly. “We... we have not decided if we should request it of you. That sort of thing is really up to our chief, Merbesi, and he has a lot on his mind already.”“Are you aware of what has happened in the region to the southeast?” said Vilam, who had overheard the others and come outside. “The area in which everything has died?”“It's true, then?” said the villager. “Most of us don't travel far from the village, and when one of our scouts came back telling stories, we didn't believe him. In hindsight, that seems foolish, admit. But, you know, in a boring little village like this people things up for fun sometimes.”“Oh. If you did not expect it was true, I take it what task you have in mind is unrelated,” said Mozmana. “Not that that's a bad thing. Now, come inside, and tell us what we can do for you.”The villager hesitated, and Mozmana repeated her request. Then he looked around, and when no one was looking, he followed the Toa inside. He quickly closed the door flap behind him.“Sorry,” he said. “Merbesi is a good leader, but he is often too proud to ask strangers for help.”“What's going on?” asked Imlen as he noticed the two Toa and the villager enter the hut.“Ask him,” said Vilam.“I'm not sure how important this is,” began the villager. “But some of us have a funny feeling...”“Out with it!” barked Vayrag, and he growled quietly.“Things have been disappearing from the village. Sometimes food, but usually random objects,” said the local. “Of course, we expected one of us was stealing from the others, but we investigated and it seems none of us are guilty. We began to keep a closer watch on our possessions, and discovered that some sort of energy beams were striking the objects and causing them to vanish.”“What did the beams come from?” said Paqyar.“The perpetrator of these thefts, apparently. But we've never even seen him. He shoots them from the shadows, taking the object, then shoots the beam somewhere else, and he disappears.”“Another teleporter, it sounds like,” said Imlen. “We just had a bad experience with one of those. But how do you know the objects are being stolen, and not annihilated?”“Oh. Well, the few times we've come close to catching him, he's dropped some of the objects he seized. But wait, it gets stranger. A few times, the village sentinels have claimed to have been teleported away from their posts, and when they returned, the thief had stolen something else. They were confused, but unharmed.”“Any connection between the objects that have been stolen?” asked Vilam thoughtfully.“Besides the food, some of them might have been useful for surviving in the wilderness. But the others... let's see, there was a map of the center of the continent – as it was before the Cataclysm – a broken mask, a flute, a volcanic rock, a magnet from some tool, some flower petals, some decorative beads... and that's all I can think of.”“I don't get it,” said Imlen after considering the list for a minute. “How long has this been going on, and how often does this thief strike?”“This started about three weeks ago, but only once during the first week. Then he showed up almost every day the last week. Since we've been staying alert, he's only come twice his week. The day before yesterday is when he stole the map.”“This is interesting, and I don't mean to sound insensitive, but we have more important things to worry about,” said Iskanemo. “You may have not noticed, but the Makuta and the Dark Hunters are battling each other over who gets to enslave the universe. We can't stop to help catch some petty thief.”“I think we should help,” countered Imlen. “It's our job to help those in need, and I'm just too curious to just walk away.”“We'll talk this over,” Paqyar turned aside to tell the villager.“Right. Don't tell Merbesi I told you,” he said as he left.“I agree with Imlen,” said Paqyar, turning back to his allies. “Who will trust us if we decline requests for help?”“If that was a request, it was a very, very gently spoken one,” said Iskanemo. “And I suspect you're just saying that to get out of going to Xia.”“Sounds boring anyway,” said Vayrag as Paqyar spluttered a protest. “I want to feel my claws slicing through armor and flesh, and if this thief is as harmless as he sounds, you won't let me do that to him.”“Hold on. Imlen and Paqyar have valid points, but I have more,” said Vilam. “If this is nothing important and easily solved, it will grant us a little relaxation that would be good for us after traveling for weeks. If there's more to it, it might be important enough to satisfy you, and will help us learn to work together.”“Exactly,” said Imlen. “We'll need all the practice we can get before we go to Xia, and think of this as a warm-up.”“So you agree we are going to Xia, then,” said Mozmana.“Well, that's not what I meant. I still need to convince my other teammate, it's – ”“Fine,” said Iskanemo. “Just because I'm too tired to argue.”“Not me,” said Vayrag. “I've been sitting in this hut all night, I need to get out.”“It's only been a couple hours, Vayrag,” said Paqyar. “But I think I have a working compromise.”Paqyar suggested that Mozmana and Vayrag continue north and acquire a new boat. Fortunately, the locals knew enough about the surrounding area to direct them to the nearest coastal village. The two of them left, and the others promised to follow them in no more than five days. The next morning, they were finally brought before Merbesi, to explain why two of them had left and the rest lingered. Instead of telling him their plan, they said they merely wanted to rest a few days. The chief seemed suspicious, and he was nervous about sheltering Toa for long, but he grudgingly allowed it. The Toa suspected he had actually guessed their true purpose and was thankful for it, yet too proud to admit it. Still, they did their best to hide the observation they made of the village over the next three days and nights. On the morning of the fourth day, while the Toa were scattered throughout the village, they heard shouts.They rushed in the direction of the shouts, and found the villagers battling a large Rahi they did not recognize. The villagers were hardy, but the beast was too strong for them. They would be no match for it alone. The Toa released a focused blast of elemental power, and the Rahi roared and turned to them. Another attack caused it to stop in the midst of its charge, and upon being struck by a third elemental blast, the creature fled. The village was safe, but several of the locals had been mauled. The Toa made sure none of them were dead, and did what they could to tend the wounded. Vilam was just helping up one of the villagers, who had been merely stunned, when she saw a flash. Immediately, she ran in its direction. As she ran, a beam of light caught her, dazzling her, and she felt the teleportation effect take hold.Review

Welcome back. I was as surprised as the characters at how strong Imegna's telepathic ability is. Something tells me there's more to it than the combination of her elemental powers and her Kanohi, but I guess we'll find out if that's so. The part about the bad things and good things in the world was great (but nitpick: MU beings don't bleed). I'm looking forward to seeing Stelt in your story, and finding out if they make it to Voya Nui.

End of YrentaChapter Nineteen==Northeastern Sea, Matoran Universe==~543 AGC~ When the Toa reached the next island, they needed supplies, but did not wish to attract attention. So Imlen traveled inland alone in search of local settlements. Vayrag and Mozmana went ashore to take a walk. The island was small, but there was plenty of wilderness near the shore for them to hike unseen. The other Toa had wanted to take the opportunity to enjoy the dry land as well, but Iskanemo insisted they stay to watch the boat. They did not expect the Makuta or Dark Hunters to find them in this relatively insignificant corner of the universe, but still were not going to take foolish risks. Losing their vessel could potentially be a major setback. Paqyar understood and accepted this, but he was still bored. After sitting in silence for a while, he attempted to start a conversation.“So, Iskanemo...” he began. “Sorry we couldn't stay on Nynrah long. I guess you were looking forward to getting that arm fixed, huh?”“That would have been a nice bonus. But I was actually hoping to get some weapons,” said the Toa of Air. “I could get a prosthetic a lot of other places – maybe sometime I will – it wouldn't be as good as a Ghost-made one, but I was visiting Nynrah for the same reason our enemies do: for weaponry. Ever been to Xia? Heard of it? Well, a lot of those fancy machines, lots of war machines, that they make on Xia are actually designed by the Nynrah Ghosts.”“They must charge clients a fortune for high-tech weapon designs,” said Vilam.“I was hoping to find a way to do them a favor, so they could repay me with something unique. I suppose it's too late for that. For now, at least. Maybe once things settle down over there I'll try again.”“How did you lose your arm, anyway?” said Paqyar, still curious.“It was a few hundred years ago. I was in the way of some Dark Hunter heist that had to do with my homeland. They tried to eliminate me, and only succeeded in eliminating this part,” Iskanemo said, indicating the missing part of his left arm.“Did they get away with it?” asked Vilam.“I couldn't stop them. Whatever treasure they took, it hadn't been important to us, but they killed some Matoran that got in the way. Yet one good thing came of it. I realized that I was wasting my life patrolling one region. I love my people, but I know now that I have a greater responsibility.”“We're not so different, then,” said Paqyar. “Except we left our homeland because it was too dangerous, and we plan to return soon. At least for long enough to make things better for them.”“With our help, I take it. We'll see,” said Iskanemo. “I'd die to save Matoran, but I'd rather die to save a million than a thousand.”“After that happened, do you hate the Dark Hunters as much as you hate the Makuta?” Vilam asked, diverting the conversation.“I don't hate them all personally – that's not the way of a Toa – but I hate the fact that their organization exists, and I know their leader is an evil being.”“We've had mostly bad experiences with them. Especially the time they massacred an entire settlement, just before we became Toa,” said Paqyar. “But we've met a few that aren't so bad, or at least they seem that way.”“Be careful of what you assume, Paqyar,” said Iskanemo. “Assumptions like that are a good way to get yourself betrayed, and killed.”At that moment Vayrag and Mozmana returned. They expected Imlen to come soon, and so they waited. A few hours later the Toa of Plasma arrived, moving as quickly as he could while carrying two large crates. The other Toa went to meet him as he approached, and relieved him of his burden. Once the supplies were on board, they unpacked them. They spent the next few hours ensuring the boat was in as good a condition as they could get it. With Vilam's help, Paqyar smoothed the wooden patches he had created to repair the hull, making the boat as hydrodynamic as it had been. Imlen and Mozmana used some scrap metal they had acquired to restore the craft's armor, and Vayrag and Iskanemo tried to repair the destroyed Kanoka launcher. They found the launcher was irreparably damaged, so they moved the remaining launcher to the center to compensate. When the repairs were done and the remaining supplies were safely stowed, the Toa cast off.They sailed north until they passed another island, then they turned west. Once they were far into the sea, at least a hundred kio from any charted island, they came to a stop. It was time to decide their next destination. Imlen and his friends were set on going directly to Yrenta, but Mozmana's team had been hinting they had another goal in mind. Imlen hoped that would not delay them for long. In the seven years he had been traveling the universe, he had thought of his home every day. Hopefully, the defeat the Dark Hunters had suffered just before he left had ended the battling in Yrenta, allowing the lives of the Matoran to return to the state they had been in for the few centuries before the Hunters showed up. But even if the Matoran were no longer being massacred by mercenaries and worked to death to build fortifications, Imlen could not tolerate the evil Makuta ruling over them. Also, he was sick of sailing. He felt vulnerable in the boat, and the water seemed to be rising up to flood it. Then he realized that was not far from the truth.“We're sinking!” exclaimed Vilam the same moment Imlen noticed it.“Who's the fool who left a hole in the boat?” said Iskanemo as the Toa rushed into the hold.“Impossible,” said Paqyar. “We've sailed for kio and...”“Then it's sabotage,” said Mozmana, jumping off the ladder and landing with a splash.The seawater in the hold was ankle-deep, and rising quickly. There was a large gash in the middle of the hull, which Paqyar sealed as quickly as he could. After instructing his allies to climb up a safe distance, Imlen vaporized the water that had leaked in. Then the Toa began to search the hold. A moment later they heard machinery grinding and something being thrown overboard. Iskanemo was the first to get back up to the deck, but he saw no one. Vilam and Vayrag followed him. They quickly inspected the motor and discovered that it had just been destroyed. While Paqyar, Imlen, and Mozmana were in the hold and the other three Toa had their backs turned, something stabbed Iskanemo in the back. The unknown assailant was gone before the Toa could see him, leaving only some drops of water. Iskanemo's injury was potentially lethal, and Mozmana heard him scream. She rushed up to the deck, followed by the other Toa, and used her mask to heal him. When he was stable, she reached out with her elemental power, scanning for minds in the area.“He's down there!” she called, pointing to under the bow. “Wait – he's over there now.”“A teleporter, “ said Vilam.“Split into groups of two,” said Imlen. “Watch each other.”Mozmana covered Vayrag as he began to magnetize the metal panels on the side of the hull. If the saboteur tried clinging to them, he would be in for a surprise. Before the Toa Hordika of Magnetism could finish the job, the boat shuddered and began to sink again. Mozmana sensed a presence directly underneath the boat, which moved as soon as it felt her mental scan. She called out, and Paqyar and Imlen went below to repair the hull again. This time the boat was even more badly damaged, and Imlen had to quickly vaporize the water rushing in before the boat submerged. As Paqyar began to close the hole, the two Toa heard the crackle of electricity and a thud behind them. They turned in time to see an unknown being lying on the floor. Before they could get a good look, his body glowed and he vanished. Vilam was gone with him.The Toa of Lightning reappeared underwater nearby, still clinging to the mysterious saboteur. Fighting electrically-induced spasms, he reached for a dagger, and Vilam let go and pushed him away before he could stab her. Then he turned and attacked. Within a few seconds, Vilam knew she was outmatched. Her opponent was almost as fast as her lightning, capable of teleporting at will. She had to resist the instinct to gasp or cry out as he scored several small hits, and she was running out of air. The other being seemed to be wearing some sort of breathing apparatus, but he did not allow Vilam to damage it. She resorted to her emergency tactic. As he appeared behind her, Vilam reached back and grabbed his outstretched arm. Ignoring the deep cut he made in her grasping arm, she activated her Kanohi. With a flash of light, their bodies merged.The attacker's mind was strong, and Vilam just barely managed to exert enough control over the amalgam to teleport onto the deck. Then she released her mental hold, allowing the fusion to split back into two beings. Her allies on the deck immediately jumped on the saboteur and knocked him out before he could recover. A moment later, once they were satisfied the vessel was seaworthy again, Imlen and Paqyar came up. Paqyar conjured bonds of plants to restrain the unconscious assailant. He, Mozmana, and Vayrag watched over their new captive while the other three investigated what other damage had been done. A few minutes later, the group was reforming when the prisoner teleported away. Fortunately for the Toa, he had not left his bonds behind. Mozmana sensed him reappear behind the cabin, and the Toa retrieved their choking captive.“Tried to 'port away as soon as you woke up, and forgot you were tied up, eh?” said Paqyar. “You probably noticed we removed your breathing device as well.”“Who are you, and why are you trying to sink us?” demanded Iskanemo once the saboteur had stopped coughing up water.“My name would... not mean anything to you,” wheezed the prisoner.“Who are you working for, then?” said Imlen. “You're a Dark Hunter, aren't you?”“Dark Hunters are not the only hunters,” said the saboteur with a laugh. “I suppose there would be no harm in me telling you I attempted to kill you on orders from the Brotherhood of Makuta.”“It might do some harm. To you, specifically,” said Vayrag, baring his fangs.“How did you get aboard?” asked Mozmana, more for the benefit of the others, as she could simply read his mind if she applied enough mental effort.“We didn't need any help locating you on Nynrah,” he replied, glancing at Vayrag meaningfully. “But a certain Matoran approached us and confessed to bringing you to the island. In exchange for a pardon of that crime, and in fact a substantial reward instead of punishment, he directed me to his boat, where I stowed away. And don't worry, Mozmana. He will be compensated for the loss of the vessel.”“That Piraka,” growled Imlen. “Kyulget betrayed us!”“And it seems he got away with it too, though this assassin has failed,” said Vilam.“He got away with the reward. But the consequences will harm him as much as anyone,” said Mozmana.“What do you mean?” said Paqyar.“If we had been killed, there would be six less heroes to set things right in this universe,” explained the Toa of Psionics. “He has only succeeded in delaying us a little, but the point remains that when we are done, life will be better even for Matoran like him.”“Ah, so he'll have to live with the universe in this lousy state that much longer,” said Imlen. “So I guess he's lucky we survived.”“Not if I ever get my claws on him,” growled Vayrag.“He might have delayed us more than 'a little',” said Iskanemo. “You've failed to kill us, but your sabotage was a partial success. Bad news for us: the engine and the back-up sails are both gone.”“We're drifting?” said a few of the Toa at once, and Iskanemo nodded.“Good news is, we're in a current that's taking us in the same general direction as we were going,” he said. “But I can't tell exactly where we'll end up, and I estimate we'll be out here for at least a week. Probably multiple weeks.”“Wonderful,” said Paqyar sarcastically. “Any way at all we can regain control?”“You could make a replacement sail, Paqyar,” Imlen realized. “And Iskanemo can help guide the winds.”“Unless your friend is an expert in sail design, it will not work as well,” said the Toa of Air. “But it will be a lot better than letting the current take us. Still, we'll be in this ship for a long time.”The Toa prepared what was left of the emergency sail system – a collapsible mast and some rigging – and Paqyar grew enormous leaves and branches to form a crude replacement of the missing parts. The other Toa helped him refine the design to the best of their abilities. The whole time, they kept an eye on the captive Brotherhood assassin. Paqyar had made sure to bind him extra before getting to work, and the prisoner seemed to be cooperative. Once the makeshift propulsion system was prepared, the Toa of Air and the Green stood by it, ready to set a course.“We're from the Northern Continent,” said Paqyar. “So, we should head in that direction.”“What? No,” said Iskanemo. “We haven't agreed on that yet.”“True. So, where should we go?” said Imlen.“The Southern Continent is ahead,” said Iskanemo, blowing wind into the sail to direct them to the continent. “We'll head there and get this ship fixed, or replace it.”“And then where?” asked Vilam, getting the feeling Iskanemo was holding something back.“Iskanemo, Vayrag, and I have discussed the matter with each other,” said Mozmana. “We have agreed to aid you in your quest, if you aid us in a short mission to Xia first.”“Xia?” said Imlen and his friends in unison, and they babbled protests.“A short mission, huh?” said Paqyar. “Because we'll be killed quickly, right?”“Listen. We've been waiting for this opportunity for a long time,” said Vayrag. “Just as you have been waiting for help with your own quest. We're near Xia now, and the six of us could do some real damage.”“Don't worry about it yet,” said Mozmana. “You have a while to consider it.”“I will consider it,” said Imlen after hesitating for a moment. “For now, let's get this prisoner into the hold, then get some rest.”The Makuta assassin was carried down the ladder and secured to a crate in the hold. He did not struggle, in fact it was unsettling how passive he was. He had not said a word since his interrogation, during which he had also been cooperative. The Toa suspected he was waiting until the right moment to attempt an escape, and maybe gathering energy for some ability they had not seen him use. So four of the Toa sat and rested in the hold where they could watch him, and made sure at least one of them was always awake. Up on the deck, Paqyar and Iskanemo also relaxed. Once in a while Paqyar would adjust the sail, or Iskanemo would manipulate the wind, to make sure they kept sailing in a straight line towards the coast of the Southern Continent. Their control reduced what could have been several weeks of drifting to, in Iskanemo's estimate, about a week of sailing. After traveling for several days, they could see the continent in enough detail to notice a large forest, with a small strip of grassy land between it and the shore.“Where on the continent are we going?” asked Vilam, who had come up to visit Paqyar and Iskanemo.“I'm not sure. Someone in the northeastern part of it, I think,” said the Toa of Air. “It's a big place.”“I know,” she said. “We went there a few times in our travels, and sometimes we stayed for a while. But we never got to explore much of it.”“Not many people living there, though,” said Paqyar. “Good for avoiding trouble, but I hope it does not take long to get going again. I've longed ached for the sight of Yrenta, and it has gotten worse this past week.”“Remember, we are taking a detour to Xia first,” said Iskanemo.“I didn't agree to that, and if Imlen listens to me he won't either.”“One thing at a time,” said Vilam, and Iskanemo nodded.Unfortunately for Paqyar, Imlen seemed to be close to agreeing to the request of the other Toa team. It was only fair, he had told his friends, and Iskanemo was right – they had a responsibility to battle evil for the sake of the whole universe, not just the small, isolated region they came from. Still, a decision on the matter had not yet been made. Imlen wanted to see his homeland as much as his friends did. And, as they came closer to the coast day by day, he turned his attention to the mission ahead. He consulted his memory of the Southern Continent. Its primary inhabitants were a few thousand Matoran, it was mostly lush, covered in forests and swamps, but there were also mountains and deserts. During his travels there, he had encountered many strange flora and fauna. The wildlife was generally more dangerous there than in Yrenta.Also, the continent had suffered a strange disaster during the Great Cataclysm, in which a region in its center had been destroyed and replaced by a waterfall that poured out of the sky and into a hole in the ground. At least, that was what the rumors said. During his visits to the continent, the most Imlen had seen of it was a mysterious glint in the sky in the direction of the alleged waterfall. He had never been close to the land's center, and neither had he and his team come this far to the continent's east. When the boat finally landed, it was in a region he did not know the name of. The Toa packed supplies and were ready to explore, but there was one more matter to address first.“What will we do to him?” said Paqyar, indicating the assassin that was still tied up in the hold.“Bringing him will be trouble,” said Iskanemo. “But we can't leave him, to possibly escape and report us.”“I wish we could turn him into the authorities, as we did the Dark Hunters,” said Imlen. “But there are no authorities around here. And the nearest ones are his employers.”“I notice you don't want this on your consciences,” said Vayrag abruptly, and he plunged his claws into the captive. “So don't feel responsible for that.”“Vayrag!” said Vilam, as she stepped forward to check on the prisoner.He was dead, and he had not said a word or even struggled as Vayrag executed him. Perhaps there had not been time for him to move – it was too fast for the other Toa to prevent – but Vilam doubted it. He could have at least teleported across the room, though he would have brought the crate he was bound to with him. Vilam realized that although she did feel somewhat responsible for the assassin's demise, Vayrag had a point. It was the most practical and efficient way to deal with the situation, and that realization unsettled her.“That was not what a Toa should have done,” she said.“I'm more savage than the average Toa,” retorted the Hordika. “He can thank his masters for that. They wanted to make me into a monster. I'll show them how well that worked out.”“But...” Vilam began to protest.“This is not the time to argue,” said Mozmana, exerting a fraction of her elemental power to calm her allies' minds. “We are a team, at least until we make it off this continent.”“I agree,” said Imlen. “We're a team. That does not mean I've decided to accompany you to Xia, but we have traveled together for what, almost two weeks? We're a team for now, I say it's time we act like it.”“What do you three call yourselves?” asked Iskanemo. “Most traveling Toa teams go by a name.”“Never really thought of it,” said Paqyar. “Our homeland is called Yrenta, so we're the Toa Yrenta, I guess. Third team to bear the name.”“We are called the Toa Muktirhith,” said Mozmana.“I've never heard a name like that before. It's a bit of a mouthful, too,” said Imlen. “What does it mean?”“Where I come from, it's a word we use to mean 'liberator',” said the Toa of Psionics. “Or more accurately, 'one who battles tyranny'.”“Liberator? Battler of tyranny?” said Imlen thoughtfully. “I rather like the sound of that.”Review

End of YrentaChapter Eighteen==Nynrah, Matoran Universe==~543 AGC~ Apparently, the Makuta of Nynrah was the curious type, or at least he had some reason to prefer the Toa alive. If the Rahkshi and Visorak had attacked immediately with lethal force, the Toa might have been defeated in seconds. But the energy bolts and Rhotuka that rained down on them had powers to paralyze and otherwise incapacitate. The Toa of Psionics, who had said her name was Mozmana, was grazed by a Rhotuka. Iskanemo, the Toa of Air, moved to cover her as she fell, but she was soon back on her feet, having resisted the effects of the spinner. A wave of psychic energy sent several Visorak running in terror, while Iskanemo created a cyclone that blew more of them away. Now that the Toa had resisted, the Rahkshi and Visorak were using lethal force. Imlen and Vayrag teamed up to take on three Rahkshi, blasting the machines with plasma and Rhotuka of magnetic elemental energy. A short distance away, Paqyar and Vilam fought their way over to the larger group.Vilam knew that if they could just make it over to the others, they could make the Visorak regret waiting to capture them. She sliced and blasted the bug Rahi that threatened to swarm over them, and Paqyar cried out and launched an arrow at a Rahkshi that was approaching the Toa of Air from behind. The arrow did not stop the Rahkshi, but the Toa of Air turned and activated his mask. The Makuta-Son went flying back, violently repelled away from its target, who finished it with a cyclone that lifted it high into the air and dropped it. Several Visorak surrounded him, and he activated his mask again, pushing him into the air. He continued to rain elemental attacks on his enemies from the sky, while Imlen and Vayrag were losing their fight against the three Rahkshi. The Rahkshi were too fast, and what few attacks managed to strike them barely slowed them down.Then Vayrag roared and launched a Rhotuka that glowed brighter than any of his previous attacks. It struck one of the Rahkshi, and other the two and a few nearby Visorak slammed into it hard enough to deform metal. Imlen conjured an intense globe of plasma that melted the pile of enemies before they could get up. Mozmana wielded her sword one-handed, fending off a few more Visorak, while with the other hand she channeled her elemental power, keeping the Rahkshi in front of her mesmerized. After defeating the Visorak near her, she released her hold on the Kraata's mind. It was too late for the Rahkshi to react, however. She sliced through its head and the Kraata inside. She moved to rejoin the others, who had all grouped together by now, except Iskanemo, who was still flying. The tide appeared to have turned in favor of the Toa, but there were still three Rahkshi and about two dozen Visorak remaining.Imlen failed to dodge a powerful laser vision attack, and the beams burned a hole through him, narrowly missing his vital organs. He cried out and fell, and Vilam retaliated, focusing the remainder of her elemental energy to into a powerful bolt that zapped the Rahkshi of Laser Vision, frying its Kraata. Iskanemo absorbed the air around a group of Visorak, suffocating them, then released it as a windstorm that blew over many more. The other Toa made sure they would not get up. While they were dealing with the Visorak, one of the remaining Rahkshi plunged its staff into the ground. Toxic fumes drifted from a green glow that spread across the ground, killing any plants it passed over. Iskanemo shouted, and the Toa dodged, but Vilam moved to help Imlen, whose wound had rendered him unconscious. She threw him out of the spreading poisonous aura, but could not get herself out of it in time. It passed over her, leaving her choking on the fumes. She passed out.“Vilam, Imlen!” Paqyar called, running over to assist them as soon as the poison faded away.“Wait for me, rookie!” said the Toa of Air as he followed, swooping in low to the ground.“We'll finish the Visorak,” said the Toa of Psionics.The Toa of Air and the Toa of the Green combined their powers to make a tornado of plant life, preventing the two Rahkshi from finishing off their injured brother and sister. Mozmana's psychic attacks caused one Visorak after another to pass out, and Vayrag slaughtered those and the remaining Visorak with claws, fangs, and his elemental Rhotuka. Meanwhile the two green-armored Toa had managed to take out another Rahkshi, a Rahkshi of Shattering, but were in a deadlock against the Rahkshi of Poison. It was enduring all of Iskanemo's air attacks, and poisoning any of Paqyar's plants that got close. Paqyar released another arrow, and it dodged again, but as it dodged it was struck by Vayrag's Rhotuka. The magnetic force warped its body where it had struck, and it staggered, allowing Iskanemo to jump into melee range and finish it off with his sickle. Finally, the battle was over, and Paqyar attempted to aid his fallen comrades. He hoped he would not lose his old friends just as he was making new ones.“Will they be alright?” he asked.“Not without help,” said the Toa of Air. “Fortunately, Mozmana here wears a Great Mask of Healing.”“They'll be alright,” said the Toa of Psionics, healing power flowing from her mask into the wounded Toa.“Thank goodness,” said Paqyar as Vilam and Imlen stirred and got up. “We owe you guys.”“Same to you. They sent more than enough to deal with the three of us,” said the Toa of Air. “Almost enough to take out all six of us. Not quite enough, but more will be coming soon. I'm Iskanemo, by the way, and that's Vayrag. Before you ask, I'll tell you: he's a Toa of Magnetism, mutated by Hordika venom. He's more and less feral at different times. Looks like the battle brought out the beast in him.”“Shouldn't you stop him?” asked Vilam, indicating the Hordika feasting on Visorak carcasses.“He's not doing any harm,” said Iskanemo. “We'd be much more efficient warriors if we could eat Visorak ourselves.”“It's often best to not fight his urges,” said Mozmana.“Right. Now, these are my friends, Vilam and Paqyar,” said Imlen. “I guess you two saw the Visorak moving and followed along.”“And aren't you happy we did?” said Paqyar. “But the Makuta here, or his commanders at least, know we're here.”“Not a surprise at all considering what a scene we made when we got here,” said Iskanemo.“The Matoran who brought us here should still be in town,” said Imlen. “His boat might be a little cramped for all of us, but – ”“Whoa, hold on there,” said the Toa of Air. “I thought you wanted to take a stand against the Brotherhood. What better place than Nynrah?”“I'd prefer to take a stand that I didn't die in during the first round,” said Paqyar. “And our stand is more... personal.”“I know, you want to free your homeland in the Northern Continent. Imlen told me,” said Iskanemo. “But do you know how important Nynrah is? This is bigger. It's more important.”“It's more suicidal,” said Imlen. “Unless the Makuta of Nynrah is a pushover, which I doubt, if Nynrah is so vital.”“So you want to resist the Brotherhood in your homeland, and maybe even vanquish one of the Makuta,” said Mozmana thoughtfully. “It would be quite a symbolic victory, even if the region and its Makuta were relatively unimportant ones.“Exactly,” said Imlen hopefully.“But Iskanemo is right. Striking a target that would actually hurt the Brotherhood is an even greater victory. But it isn't safe here. You both have good points, all I know is that we need to get moving.”“Alright. First stop is the Ghost village,” said Iskanemo.“But they'll be waiting for us there,” protested Vilam. “And in the port... where do we go?”“I say we go back to the port. I'm willing to fight my way out – not into more trouble,” said Imlen. “Whoever else is with me, let's go. The airhead can stay and die alone if he wants.”“'Airhead'!” snarled Iskanemo, pushing away Mozmana when she attempted to use her power to calm him. “You insolent... no, we need to work together. My way. And that is – ”“We need to go, now!” interrupted Vayrag, scampering away from his meal. “More are coming!”Iskanemo sighed and joined the others in fleeing in the direction of the port. After jogging in a straight line for a while, they changed course slightly to evade their pursuers. Several hours later, they had to slow to a quick walk. They found shelter and stopped to sleep before nightfall, for they did not want to be ambushed in their sleep in the dark. When each of them were fully rested, they continued. The next morning they came to the port, and as they expected, Brotherhood agents were waiting for them. The natives had already abandoned the streets in preparation for the coming fight. As the Toa began to blast a path through the soldiers, Rahkshi, and Visorak that stood between them and the docks, more Makuta forces converged on them from out of town. The Toa pressed harder against their foes' defense. Together, Vilam, Imlen, and Iskanemo formed a tornado of electrified plasma that cleared a path. Imlen winced as the glowing twister spun out of control and demolished the front of a building. Fortunately, it looked like no one had been hurt, but he had more to worry about anyway.“Where's Kyulget?” asked Paqyar as projectiles whizzed overhead. “Anyone seen a Matoran of Magnetism?”“He's probably hiding with the others,” said Imlen. “Don't worry, I'm sure he can tell why we need to leave in a hurry.”“Or maybe he's in his boat. I see it over there,” said Vilam, darting towards the docked vessel.“Sure we want to go in that?” said Iskanemo dubiously.“It's not a combat vessel, but it's fast,” said Paqyar. “And I think flight will do us more good than fighting.”“Good point,” said the Toa of Air as he jumped aboard with the others.“Kyulget!” called Imlen and his teammates as they began to launch the boat.“Wait, we're just taking his boat?” protested Mozmana. “And he's probably not even on board?”“The lives of six Toa outweigh the convenience of a single Matoran,” said Vayrag.“Besides, if all goes well, he'll have more than enough money to buy a new one,” said Paqyar. “I'll explain later.”Mozmana submitted, and went to help Imlen get them moving while the others defended the boat. Fortunately, many of the Visorak and Rahkshi had powers meant to be used against living beings, and they were unable to damage the hull with their Rhotuka and energy bolts. Iskanemo indicated which enemies to focus on, especially the Panrahk and Guurahk, Rahkshi of Fragmentation and Disintegration that could blow the boat to pieces or crumble it to dust if they got a lucky hit. A Brotherhood soldier managed to score a hit with his Cordak Blaster before a sudden change in air pressure knocked him into the water. The Toa looked below and to their relief they found that the hole was above the waterline. Paqyar wasn't taking any chances, however, so he grew a vine out of the wooden deck, with which he swung overboard and into the hole. He landed down in the hold, and with a quick application of his plant power he formed a wooden patch over the hole. As he came back onto the deck, he noticed they were leaving the port behind. A few Rahkshi were flying after them, but Iskanemo buffeted them with a gale, allowing Imlen and Vilam to pick them off easily.The Toa celebrated their escape, and decided to keep sailing north, past the Dark Hunter-controlled waters they had passed through on the way to Nynrah. They decided to stop at one of the two northeastern-most islands of the universe upon getting to them. They were happy to be away from their enemies, but they were cramped on the boat, and all of them felt vulnerable. They knew they had been lucky to escape Nynrah with such little damage to the boat, and feared the craft would not fare so well in their next confrontation. Vayrag was the most agitated, pacing and growling like a caged Rahi, and Mozmana had to stay by his side constantly to keep him calm. Soon they were passing through the giant tunnel the Dark Hunters had confronted Imlen's team in. The Toa of Plasma felt tension grip him, and he started a conversation with Mozmana to alleviate it, while Vayrag was sleeping. As they spoke, he kept his eyes on the sea ahead.“Seems you have a... difficult couple of teammates,” he said casually.“They have their quirks, but they're good friends all the same,” said Mozmana. “And I can't claim to be entirely reasonable all the time. I feel quite stupid for protesting us taking this vessel. It was just an impulsive reaction.”“I hate to steal from Kyulget too, but trust me, he can handle himself. He lived alone on Stelt.”“Stelt, huh? I've been there. It's a nasty place in many ways, but the blending of cultures in the places visitors gather is fascinating. Now, your friend mentioned earlier that the Matoran would be receiving a large sum of money. If you'd satisfy my curiosity...”“We captured some of the Dark Hunters that held up the boat and tried to capture us, and Kyulget turned them in for bounties,” said Imlen, laughing lightly at the memory. “It was around here that they confronted us, so keep alert. But, hey – if you wanted, you could have read my mind for that information, couldn't you?”“I could have, but I prefer not to,” said the Toa of Psionics. “I was taught to consider it rude to do unnecessarily. After all, if we don't respect the privacy of our friends' thoughts, what kind of friends are we?”“Rather impolite ones,” agreed Imlen, and he chuckled again.“I'm told I should expect to encounter Dark Hunters,” said Iskanemo as he and Paqyar climbed up from the hold. “Shall I try scouting ahead? I can't fly as well over water, but it's worth a try.”“What is that mask, anyway, and why doesn't it work over water?” asked Paqyar. “I've never seen one like it before.”“It's the Mask of Repulsion,” explained the Toa of Air. “It allows me to force any one target away from me at high speed. I can target the ground with it to fly, but that technique is tricky to use over an ocean. My air powers help.”“Most Toa consider a Kanohi that repels nature itself to be immoral, which probably explains why you haven't seen it before,” said Mozmana. “That matter is one of the things Iskanemo and I have accepted our disagreement about.”“I don't really get it,” said Imlen.“Don't worry about it now,” said Iskanemo activated his mask and shot into the air, causing the boat to rock violently.He flew off, to return a little while later with dirty, battered armor. He reported that he had seen a Dark Hunter boat, and they had seen him, and they had fought. Mozmana seemed to disapprove of him stopping to fight alone, but Imlen was impressed by his account of taking out five of the Hunters when the whole crew was attacking him at once. He admitted that those five were merely unconscious, and would be awake by the time the two vessels met, but he had removed any weapons and Kanohi they had on them and dumped them into the sea. About an hour later, the Dark Hunter ship came into view. The mercenaries were ready this time, but so were the Toa. They had crates of Kanoka at the ready, and Mozmana and Paqyar were manning the boat's two launchers. Iskanemo took to the air again, carrying as many disks as he could. The other Toa defended their ship from incoming projectiles. Several Weaken and Increase Weight disks struck the hull, threatening to cause the boat to break apart or sink. Imlen rushed to apply Regeneration and Levitation disks to counter the effects.Vayrag leaned over the boat's railing, eagerly anticipating the moment the craft would come side by side and allow him to engage the enemy in melee combat. Until then, he battered the Hunter ship and its crew with Rhotuka of magnetic force. His spinners dented the hull, but he could not summon enough power to penetrate it. Above, Iskanemo laughed wildly as he darted around above the enemy vessel, his Kanohi Crast pushing hard against its deck. He dropped his load of Kanoka disks, most of which were intercepted before they could hit. The rest bounced off the deck, discharging their energies in a variety of harmful effects. Iskanemo turned to return to his allies, and as he did so a Zamor Sphere struck him, causing his mask to fall off. Vayrag saw him plummet, and launched a magnetizing spinner at the Toa of Air as fast as he could. It struck Iskanemo a few bio above the water, causing his Kanohi to change course in midair and cling to his body as Vayrag intended. It also had the unforeseen side effect of causing him to slam into the Dark Hunter ship fast enough to knock him out.“Oops,” said the Toa Hordika. “Don't worry, he'll stick there until I demagnetize him. Or until the Hunters pry him off.”“Looks like we'll need to retrieve him,” said Mozmana. “You three stay here, once we're in range Vayrag and I will jump aboard.”“Right,” said Imlen as he melted another incoming projectile. “Get ready to take the launcher, Vilam.”The vessels continued to exchange salvos until they were side by side. Several Dark Hunters extended planks and threw grappling hooks across the distance and attempted to cross over. Imlen kept intercepting incoming disks and other missiles while Mozmana and Vayrag struggled to get aboard the enemy vessel. Vilam and Paqyar turned their launchers against the Dark Hunters that remained on the deck. Mozmana used telekinesis to knock the Dark Hunters attempting to cross the gap into the sea, and she and Vayrag charged up the main boarding ramp. Vayrag tackled another Hunter as he landed, and after killing him with his fangs, he darted over to the spot above where Iskanemo was magnetized to the hull. Mozmana and the Toa manning the launchers covered him as he crawled down the side of the ship, using his claws to dig handholds into the hull.“Need a hand here!” he called from below.“Can't help now,” replied Mozmana as she battled the Dark Hunters on their deck. “Do what you can.”A Dark Hunter turned and blasted the Kanoka launcher Paqyar was aiming. The resulting explosion demolished the launcher and nearly knocked Paqyar out. Vilam got up from her launcher, shocked that Dark Hunter into unconsciousness, and helped Paqyar up. The Toa of the Green assured her he was not hurt, and went down into the hold to check for hull damage. As he feared, Imlen had not been able to prevent all the attacks from striking the boat. Water was leaking in slowly through cracks, and there was a badly damaged patch that looked like it would collapse into a large hole with one more hit. Paqyar created a large growth of a particular marine plant to absorb the seawater, then repaired the damage as well as he could. He could not do anything about the tattered metal plates that protected the boat, but it took only a miniscule amount of his elemental power to regenerate the wood that made up the body of the hull.Beyond the damaged section of hull, on the other side of the Dark Hunter boat, Vayrag held on with his clawed arm as he tried to wake Iskanemo. His efforts were in vain, or at least they were not working fast enough. An idea came to him, and carefully he climbed down until he could reach Iskanemo's Kanohi, which was magnetized to his leg. He tried pulling it off, but the force pinning it to the Toa of Air's body was far too strong for him to overcome with only one arm. Above, he heard Mozmana grunt as she dodged and blocked attacks. Vayrag and Iskanemo could not wait for her help, she needed their help. Fortunately, both of them could swim, though neither of them was very good at it. Bracing himself, Vayrag struck his ally with a spinner that counteracted the magnetism that pinned him to the ship. The unconscious Toa of Air dropped into the sea, and Vayrag followed.He grabbed Iskanemo and pulled him to the surface. The shock of falling into the water caused the Toa of Air to stir, but he was still dazed. Vayrag let go of him momentarily to pursue his sinking mask. Once it was in range, the Hordika fired a series of Rhotuka at it, until one hit. The Kanohi became strongly magnetized again, and it shot towards the nearest metal object, which in this case, was Vayrag. As he swam up to support Iskanemo, the mask clapped onto his foot. The impact was jarring, and hoped the mask was not damaged. He lifted his foot and found it wasn't. He managed to pry it off, reduced its magnetism to what a Kanohi normally had – just enough to secure it to a face – and slapped it onto Iskanemo's. Revitalized by the mask's energies, he opened his eyes wide. Vayrag heard Mozmana cry out, and a weapon clattered on the deck above.“Mozmana! She needs help,” said Iskanemo, now wide awake and floating on his own. “Grab on!”“I'll tear those brutes apart,” growled Vayrag as Iskanemo's mask propelled them into the air.Now below them, Mozmana was desperately dodging and using her elemental power to defend herself. Her sword lay on the other side of the deck, and the Dark Hunters were not giving her time to retrieve it telekinetically. A lithe, quick-moving Dark Hunter knocked her down, and prepared to finish her when a bolt of lightning struck him in the back. He turned to Vilam, who had launched the attack from Kyulget's boat. Before he could retaliate, the Toa of Air and Magnetism swooped down. A gust of wind knocked many of the mercenaries down, and Vayrag let go of Iskanemo. He dropped down and rampaged across the deck, fulfilling the promise he had made to himself a few seconds ago. Mozmana called her sword to her, and plunged it into the back of the lithe Dark Hunter. The rest scattered before Iskanemo's winds and Vayrag's savagery, jumping overboard or running to the lower deck. The Toa turned their attention to the vessel's weapons, and quickly destroyed them.“Alright, time to go,” said Mozmana, jumping across the narrow gap between the ships.“I'm not done yet!” snarled Vayrag.“We are,” said Imlen. “But don't worry, I won't leave them like this.”Imlen used the last of his elemental energy to melt a large hole in the enemy craft.“That's better,” he said. “Now let's go.”“I'd rather slaughter them all myself,” said Vayrag as he leaped aboard the smaller boat. “But that is a more efficient way of doing it.”Imlen did not mention that it was likely most of the Dark Hunters would survive. He was sure they could all swim, and help would arrive for them soon. By then, however, the Toa would be a safe distance away. As the Dark Hunter ship foundered, Vilam went below and revved the engines. They continued at full speed until they were on the open ocean again. Soon, they passed the nearest Sea Gate. When they were beyond it, they relaxed. Their next destination was a few hundred kio ahead.Review

I like the story. There's a certain charm about reading about Matoran. I myself don't like to write about what canon characters do and say, but I think you've pulled it off well.There are a couple things I don't get. First, why did Makani wonder if Lewa would show up? At first I thought this took place before the Toa arrived, but the next chapter shows that it's during the events of the Mata Nui Online Game and that the Toa have come to Mata Nui already. Second, why did Tiribomba need all that special treatment for Makuta's influence to be removed, after Kopaka removed the infected mask?Still, I enjoyed it, and I hope to see another chapter soon.

End of YrentaChapter Seventeen==Sea near Odina, Matoran Universe==~543 AGC~ The Toa heard a short wail, then a splash.“That's for lying the first time,” called the amphibious Dark Hunter. “The rest of you, get over here! We've got Toa.”Heavy footsteps sounded on the deck above. Supplies and equipment clattered as the Dark Hunters ransacked the ship. The Toa decided to not make them search the whole thing. They got up immediately and dashed to the ladder as a lone Dark Hunter came down. Vilam parried his weapon while Imlen brought his staff down on his head, knocking him out. Another Dark Hunter tore a large hole in the deck, allowing himself and his comrades to drop down around the Toa. There were three surrounding the Toa now, taking up almost all the space in the hold. More were above. The Toa attacked first. In these close quarters, Paqyar and Imlen were at a disadvantage. Vilam managed to disable her opponent, but not before Imlen had been disarmed. Paqyar was desperately blocking his opponent's claws with the blades on the front of his bow. Imlen poured a stream of plasma out of his bare hands, incapacitating the gray-armored Dark Hunter he was battling.As Imlen retrieved his staff, two more Dark Hunters jumped down to replace the ones that had fallen, landing on the unconscious bodies. Vilam was turning to assist Paqyar when one of the two smacked her in the back of the head. She was knocked out, and Paqyar blasted a storm of leaves in his opponent's face, giving him time to back up. At that moment, the combatants noticed the boat was moving forward again. Another Dark Hunter's Mask of Strength glowed, and he threw a punch that Imlen narrowly dodged. The Toa of Plasma countered by jabbing the brawler with the end of his staff. Then he heard something whir, and he looked up in time to see one of the Dark Hunters on the deck aiming a launcher down at him. Just before the Dark Hunter could fire, a thrown object struck her in the arm. She turned, and Imlen continued to battle the Hunter that wore the Kanohi Pakari. Paqyar managed to release an arrow at nearly point-blank range, puncturing his opponent's eye. However, that seemed to only make that Dark Hunter angry.The masked bruiser punched again, and as Imlen ducked he released a sudden cloud of blindingly bright plasma. While his opponent stumbled, Imlen grabbed him and used his body as a stepping-stone, bounding up to the deck. Paqyar used the moment of distraction to follow. They planted their feet on the deck just in time to see the Dark Hunter with the launcher shove a crate aside, revealing the dripping wet Kyulget cowering behind it. Before she could turn, Paqyar shot her in the back and grew binding vines out of the arrow. While she was restrained, Imlen knocked her unconscious as he ran over to Kyulget. He just realized that Vilam was still down in the hold when the Dark Hunters they had left below held her unconscious body up into view.“Good effort, Toa,” the amphibious Dark Hunter said, standing on the other side of the deck. “But you'd better give it up, or my friend here tears your friend here in half.”“What happens to us if we do surrender?” said Imlen, keeping his staff aimed at the Hunters.“We're equipped to hold Toa on Odina,” shrugged the Dark Hunter. “The Shadowed One can decide at his leisure.”“I don't like the sound of that offer. But it seems I don't have much choice,” said Imlen, and he lowered his staff. “Are you coming up here to get us or should we come down?”“Just stay there,” said the Dark Hunter, and another Dark Hunter standing beside him fired a launcher of some sort at the Toa.When he dodged, Imlen knew he was putting Vilam's life in danger. But if he and Paqyar just let themselves be captured, it was unlikely they would ever escape. He had been hoping that the Dark Hunters would get closer first, but it was too late to pretend to cooperate now. Vilam was lowered back into the hold, and Paqyar dashed forward to save her, dodging another shot. The Dark Hunter with the Mask of Strength was beginning to fulfill his leader's threat when an arrow knocked the glowing Kanohi off his face. Another Hunter came forth to just stab her. He ignored the arrows Paqyar put in his back, but could not shrug off a crate to the head. Kyulget dusted off his hands theatrically as the container knocked his target unconscious. He and Paqyar dropped down into the hold while Imlen battled the Dark Hunters on the deck. While in close quarters, the Toa of Plasma had minimized the use of his elemental power. Now, on the open deck, it was time for him to put it to its full use.Without his Mask of Strength, the Dark Hunter brawler was easily dispatched. Kyulget handled the other, taking a Kanoka out of a nearby crate and hurling it at him. The Dark Hunter had not expected any trouble from a Matoran, and so he did not react in time. The disk struck him and teleported him out of the ship. Kyulget laughed vengefully as he heard a splash. Above, Imlen snarled as plasma streamed from his staff, blinding his enemies and melting metal. Dark Hunters all around him were forced to jump overboard to save themselves, until only the leader, the amphibious being, was left. He picked up a launcher that one of his subordinates had dropped and fired at Imlen from behind. The projectile vanished in a flash as it struck, and Imlen felt his mechanical parts moving against his will. He strained against the force manipulating him, but only succeeded in wearing himself out. He dropped to the ground.The Dark Hunter lunged at him, and Imlen saw Paqyar, Vilam, and Kyulget climbing up to the hold behind him. The Hunter noticed where he was looking and turned in time to be struck in the chest by a bolt of lightning from Vilam. When he fell, there were no Dark Hunters left standing on Kyulget's boat. But the danger was not over yet. The Dark Hunters that had jumped overboard were getting back onto their vessel, and the crew was bringing the ship's many weapons to bear. Kyulget ran to the stern to see to his boat's engines.“The gangplank!” he called over his shoulder.“Right,” said Imlen, melting the walkway that connected the two ships. “Vilam, Paqyar, get their gunners!”With electricity, arrows, and plants, Vilam and Paqyar delayed the Dark Hunters that manned the enemy ship's Kanoka launchers and other weapons, preventing them from getting a shot off. As they did that, Imlen vaporized a small area of the Hunters' ship's hull below the waterline. He heard Kyulget cheer as his boat surged ahead while the other vessel began to sink. Imlen sighed and let out a small laugh of relief. Once they were moving forward steadily and leaving the Dark Hunter ship far behind, Vilam went down to the hold. A moment later, Imlen heard her cry out. There was an electric buzz and a thud, then the Toa of Lightning poked her head above the deck.“They were waking up,” she said. “I put them back to sleep.”“Oh, right, them,” said Imlen, looking around at the unconscious Dark Hunters that littered the deck. A few more were below in the hold. “So, what do we do?”“Throw them overboard, obviously!” called Kyulget, coming forward from the stern.“No, that won't do,” said Paqyar. “If we do that, they'll either be stranded here to drown, or they'll recover and follow us. Toa don't abandon prisoners to die.”“You should have thought of that before you sank that boat,” said the Matoran.“Emphasis on the term 'prisoners',” said Imlen. “We did not have much choice back there.”“Paqyar can use his plants to bind them. And this is a boat, you must have plenty of rope lying around,” said Vilam. “Besides, these are criminals. We might be able to turn them in when we get to Nynrah... and get a reward for it.”“Good point,” said Kyulget. “Alright. But make sure they are secured and disarmed. And even then, have someone watching them at all times.”The Toa and Matoran agreed to keep the Dark Hunter prisoners in the hold. They searched the unconscious mercenaries and removed their weapons, including any that were bolted or welded to their bodies. Then they tied the captives up five times as securely as seemed necessary, and the Toa took shifts watching them. Kyulget kept the boat going at as fast a speed as it could maintain until they left Dark Hunter waters. Later that day, they passed another rather small island, and the next day, they reached their destination. The boat sailed to Nynrah's main port and stopped against a dock. Some natives – local authorities, or customs agents – came to greet them. These were not the famed Nynrah Ghosts, which were Matoran. These were members of Nynrah's native species, which was known as a race of crafters. Kyulget suddenly looked uncomfortable, but it was his ship, and so he had to represent them.“Three Toa,” said one of the natives. “A rare sight these days. Your kind has become far too uncommon.”Imlen merely nodded, and Kyulget spoke hesitantly.“In addition to these passengers, we're carrying... additional... passengers – or rather, 'cargo', of a sort.”“What do you mean? Speak plainly,” said another native, looking at the Matoran curiously.“We have several captive Dark Hunters aboard,” Kyulget blurted out with one breath. “We were wondering if maybe there was a reward for them...”“Likely,” said the first native, exchanging a glance with his partners. “We'll help you unload them.”“Right. Thanks,” said Paqyar. “Careful – they are disarmed, but dangerous still.”“Why so nervous?” Imlen whispered to Kyulget as they led the Nynrah natives onto the boat. “Are you in some kind of trouble here you didn't tell me about?”“No, no, nothing like that,” Kyulget whispered back. “I just realized what the Dark Hunters would do to me if they found I was involved in this.”“Ooh. Didn't think of that,” admitted Imlen. “Well, maybe the reward will be enough for you to start a new life, away from Stelt.”The Matoran muttered something Imlen could not hear. The conversation ended, and one by one the captives were brought ashore. All of them were awake now, and all were very angry. Paqyar thanked himself for having decided to gag them. Some more local enforcers came to escort the captives away, and assured the Toa that the Dark Hunters would be safely contained. The enforcers requested Kyulget and the Toa to follow to claim their reward, but the Toa declared their intention to continue their own mission. They parted from Kyulget then, but the four of them promised to meet again before leaving Nynrah. For now, the Toa began to ask around about the Toa of Air they sought. They started by asking the locals they had first met, whom had gone back to work at the docks. If the Toa of Air had come to Nynrah at this port, they would have found out about it. However, that did not seem to be the case.“Sorry. We'll let you know if he arrives,” one of the natives finished speaking.“But I can guess why he's here,” said another. “If I was missing half an arm – and could afford it – I would pay the Ghosts a visit and get them to craft a prosthetic.”“Good thinking,” said Imlen. “The Ghosts only live in one village, right? So if he heads there, he should be easy to find. But if he does show up here later, I'd like to be around to greet him. Who wants to visit the Nynrah Ghosts, then?”“I'll go,” Vilam and Paqyar both said.“You probably won't see them even if you visit their village,” said another of the natives. “They keep themselves shut away.”“I could use a walk anyway, after being on that ship for days,” said Paqyar, and Vilam nodded in agreement.“Very well, I'll wait here in case he arrives,” said Imlen, then he turned to the locals. “You are under the jurisdiction of the Brotherhood here, right?”“There is a Makuta watching over the island,” confirmed one of them. “They keep to themselves mostly, but I'd try not to make much noise if I were you. In fact, you should leave as soon as your business is done here. These days, three Toa traveling together does not go unnoticed.”“Thanks for the advice,” said Imlen, turning back to his friends. “We might be waiting a while anyway. If the Toa of Air shows up, we'll meet you at the Ghost village. If we don't show up for, say... a week, meet me back here.”“Be prepared to camp out,” said another local. “Don't expect the Ghosts to provide lodging.”The Toa thanked the port agents for the help and split up. Imlen knew that to keep a low profile, he should also camp outside the town. But that was no way to find someone he was waiting for, so he stayed in a local inn. There was much chatter in the inn, talk of engineering and production, and of competition between the Dark Hunters and the Brotherhood of Makuta for Nynrah's favor. Imlen was weary, and so he payed little attention to it. He stayed in town for days, and during that time he received an uncomfortable amount of curious looks. He thought he heard talk about his presence whispered behind his back. He was beginning to consider finding his friends and leaving the island early when he heard a commotion outside. He opened the window of his upstairs room and dropped down to the street. No one seemed to notice that, and he could see why.Some strange beast – or a bestial being – was hurtling down the street. It did not attack anyone, but knocked people and objects over obliviously, growling. It stopped for a moment to howl madly, and Imlen could see it was about the size of a Toa, with metallic gray and black armor. Its face reminded him of a Kavinika, but it was clearly not one. It was not any sort of Rahi he had ever seen. He was about to confront it when he saw two other beings in his peripheral vision. He turned, and saw two Toa running after the beast. The one in the lead was a flustered-looking Toa of Psionics, and behind her must have been the one Imlen had heard about. He was a Toa of Air, and his left forearm was nothing but a stump. In contrast with his partner, he looked more exasperated than embarrassed. The wild creature overturned a food stand and began to feast on the spilled wares when the Toa of Psionics held out a hand in its direction, and it stopped.“Great, Vayrag,” groaned the Toa of Air as the Toa of Psionics went to retrieve the beast. “What a first impression we've made.”“You've certainly made a... unique impression on me,” said Imlen quietly, coming forth.“Oh, another Toa,” said the Toa of Psionics, risking a glance away from the creature, which she seemed to be keeping under control with her elemental power. “What brings you to Nynrah?”“Looking for potential allies,” said Imlen. “But I have the feeling this isn't the place to talk about it.”“Right,” said the Toa of Air, as several locals converged on the Toa and their beast. “Sorry about the mess.”“We'll clean it up, and we won't be here long,” the Toa of Psionics attempted to placate the natives.“Keep that thing leashed!” one of the locals called.“Get it out of here,” said another.“I'm still hungry,” the creature spoke, to the great surprise of Imlen and the locals. “Get me... I mean, I'm sorry about the...”“What is he?” asked Imlen as the creature's speech degenerated into growls and snarls.“Vayrag is a Toa, like you,” answered the Toa of Psionics as she and the Toa of Air began to clean up the mess.“Or at least, he was,” said the Toa of Air as Imlen helped. “Until the Visorak did that to him.”“You mean it was...?” Imlen trailed off.“Hordika Venom,” said the Toa of Psionics sadly. “He's not usually like this, but being stuck on a ship for days can make anyone restless.”Imlen knew all about Hordika Venom. The mutagenic poison of the Visorak transformed its victims into mindless, ferocious beasts. He had only seen its effects on Rahi, which had the effect of making even peaceful creatures needlessly violent, and caused them to grow spines, fangs, and other natural weapons. Sometimes that even included natural Rhotuka launchers, and Imlen noticed the Toa Hordika here – Vayrag – had one on his back. Vayrag was docile for now, but he did not speak. He sat quietly until the other Toa were done cleaning the mess and apologizing to the natives. Then the four of them them left the town. The Hordika stood up and walked on digitigrade feet. Imlen also noticed that one of Vayrag's arms ended in a some sort of twin claw and saw weapon, and the other in a hand that looked mostly normal.“We're heading to the village of the Nynrah Ghosts,” said the Toa of Psionics, still walking as Imlen tagged along.“I guessed you would. I sent my two friends ahead there,” said Imlen.“So, you travel with two others as well,” said Vayrag, who was quite lucid now. “Together we make six. Interesting.”“But do we want to team up?” said the Toa of Air. “We could use allies, I admit, but not just anyone.”“I think we're fortunate to have found each other,” said Imlen. “In seven years of travels, I've met only a few other Toa. None of them were willing to team up for long. I was hoping there would be something different about you.”“Got some sort of personal quest?” asked the Toa of Psionics.“I want to free my homeland from the Brotherhood of Makuta,” said Imlen.“You can't get rid of the Brotherhood,” laughed the Toa of Air grimly. “But if you want to hurt them as much as you can, I'd be happy to help.” ----- Vilam and Paqyar had received as friendly a reception as they had been told to expect. The doors to every building in the village were shut. When they had knocked and requested lodging, they had been told to go away. And so they spent the days just outside the village, spending the nights in their sleeping pouches under the sky. The sounds of the Matoran crafters working their miracles could be heard even from behind closed doors. The noise was beautiful in a way, but it made sleeping difficult. Therefore, the Toa were awake the night different sounds mingled with the noise of metalworking. They immediately recognized the sounds. Rahkshi and Visorak were on the move, and they were heading in the direction of the port the Toa had arrived at. Paqyar and Vilam got up and followed stealthily a safe distance behind. They traveled for the rest of the night, and until afternoon of the next day.The Brotherhood force reached its destination in an open, uninhabited area. The Visorak circled around a small group of beings, and Paqyar could see that those beings were Imlen, two other Toa, and another being he could not recognize. He and Vilam were about to charge to save them when several more Visorak and Rahkshi suddenly came from behind. As they surrounded him, he and Vilam realized that the Visorak had known they were being followed all along, and had waited until now, when they could trap all six of their targets at once.Review

It is a lot of exposition in the middle of a battle. I guess I wanted to both set the scene and make the beginning exciting. (If you want the full backstory, read my earlier epics.) The later chapters might do that somewhat, but the big block of exposition is something I usually do in the first chapter. I'll try not to let exposition bog down the action too much in the future. As for all the deaths, I wanted to convey how things are becoming more dangerous for Imlen and the others. I didn't consider how, because the reader doesn't know what I do about the plot yet, the deaths can make all the characters look disposable.

I don't think this was ever considered a possibility, but I like to think it was because Mata Nui resurrected Takanuva while he stirred in his sleep, because they were just taking a step to waking him.

Could be, but according to BS01 it's one of the latent Av-Matoran powers. And I agree that it doesn't make sense, I'm just pretty sure I read a quote from Greg or something a long time ago saying it would be possible.

I think it was said that a Toa of Light could theoretically learn that ability, because Photok could while he was linked with a Toa, which means it is a light elemental technique. I don't think the Mask of Light would grant that ability though, and I remember it was said that Takanuva would need lots of practice to use that and the other Av-Matoran abilities.

End of YrentaChapter Sixteen==Senjo Town, Stelt, Matoran Universe==~543 AGC~ The Toa had traveled the Universe for seven years. They had been on many adventures, mostly on the Northern Continent, but they had gone to the larger but less populated Southern Continent a few times, along with many tiny islands around the continents. But all that time, they had never dared to visit the island of Stelt. Stelt was a barren island, not a small one, but not particularly large either. Besides its advantageous position between Xia and the Southern Continent, and east of the Northern Continent's Tren Krom Peninsula, Stelt was well known for constant warfare and gladiatorial battles. The Brotherhood of Makuta had a presence here, with a Makuta assigned to watch over the island, and they were known to recruit the natives for the war. Several of their officers, including, it was rumored, the leader of the Visorak horde, came from Stelt's ruling class. But Stelt, at least for now, was truly neutral, for the political situation was far too chaotic for it to be anything but that.There was another thing Stelt was famous for: clandestine trade, whether that was goods, services, or information. The Toa had finally risked coming to this hostile place to partake in that activity – specifically, information on who could help them free Yrenta, and perhaps the services of those beings. Three Toa traveling together could easily attract a lot of attention, but they tried to keep a low profile. They had been careful to avoid the places that had a significant Brotherhood presence, which added up to a large part of the island, and the places that were in open war, which was even more. And so, they had come to the settlement of Senjo, which was relatively peaceful, with inhabitants that were mostly indifferent to both the wars that scarred their island and the war that raged across the universe. They would not find any help if they remained out of sight, and so after a quick scan of the streets they entered the town's tavern.It was small for such a building, although it was much larger than what the Toa were used to, having been built for much larger beings than Matoran. And so there was only a small crowd in the main room, consisting of many species. There were a few Matoran, Steltians of both the laborer race and the leader race, a Vortixx or two, and half a dozen others, some of which the Toa could not identify. Most of the patrons looked up and stared at them as they entered. The three of them were certainly an unusual sight in this isolated town. Imlen bowed his head humbly and cleared this throat.“Ah, I see, um, we've been noticed,” he said nervously. “So I'll say what we're here for. First, we're looking for other Toa.”Most of the clients ignored him and returned to their previous business, and some of them grunted with disdain. A few continued to stare at the Toa but said nothing. But the innkeeper, a Steltian of the laborer race, waved them over. Imlen and the others walked over to the counter.“I can tell you about where other Toa might be,” said the proprietor in surprisingly good Matoran. “But it'll cost you, of course. And you need to get one drink each before I consider dealing with you.”“Fair enough,” said Imlen, handing over a small pile of cash.Fortunately, the Toa had collected a decent amount of currency of various kinds that they had been awarded in their travels, as well as items that the Steltian might be willing to barter for. But the innkeeper gave the money a disapproving look.“That isn't worth much around here,” he muttered.“Well, we also have – ” Imlen began to say, as he reached into his pack.“Keep your voice down,” said the innkeeper quietly. “I try to keep things decent here, but you shouldn't talk about the wealth you carry, not on Stelt.”“Thanks for the tip. I hope it doesn't cost us,” said Vilam, and the Steltian looked at her curiously for a moment before laughing.“Hey, some of us have some decency,” he chuckled. “Tell you what – just having you here will bring business later, with the rumors of Toa visiting and curious customers and all, so I'll give you the drinks on the house. But the information will cost you. A lot more than this pile.”“Uh, do I want to know what sort of 'energy' you've 'charged' these with?” said Paqyar as the innkeeper handed over three canisters of some sort of colorful liquid Protodermis. “Makuta viruses or something? Visorak venom?”“Secret recipe,” said the innkeeper with a wink. “If you think I might have doctored it with something unpleasant for you, well, I can say I didn't. But you can't be too careful, so I don't mind if you want to drink them later. But it's on your Toa honor to drink them sometime, alright?”“Sure,” said Imlen. “But now let's get to business.”The Steltian called for an assistant to take over and led the Toa into a back room. There, they bartered for the information piece by piece. The innkeeper got piles of several different kinds of currency, along with assorted tools and supplies. In exchange, the Toa learned that a Toa of Air with a maimed arm had visited the island not long ago. Allegedly, he had also been looking for information, but had gotten involved with local matters and ended up being chased off the island by the Brotherhood. Rumor told that he had fled to a particular port settlement and chartered a private boat. To Imlen's relief, the Toa were not completely broke by the time they had learned all that, but the innkeeper had gotten more than a good deal, the free drinks notwithstanding. They thanked the innkeeper and left. As they walked down the street to the edge of town, Vilam felt someone trying to grab something from her from behind. She turned and released a small blast of electricity, enough to stun a being.“Really? Trying to steal from three Toa?” she asked the black-armored being, who just stared at the ground. “And they said the laborers here were stupid.”“Well, Toa are safer to steal from,” Paqyar pointed out. “After all, they won't kill you. But they might do this.”Paqyar wrenched the mask off the thief's face and tossed it into an alley. The thief scurried after it, and the Toa moved along. The port they were heading for was on the other side of the island, and the journey was long and difficult. As with everywhere on Stelt, the land they crossed was desolate and battle-scarred, but that posed the least danger. Many times, they had to change course to avoid armies and Brotherhood agents. Once they were even caught in the middle of a sudden battle when one local warlord's forces ambushed another one's. Several days later, they came to the seaside town. It seemed neutral enough, with minimal signs of Makuta presence. But it was also much less isolated than Senjo, and more likely to be full of dangerous characters. Still, whoever had helped the Toa of Air escape could at least be persuaded to support their cause, and so the Toa asked around for him. Soon they were directed to speak with a Matoran of Magnetism.“Toa,” he greeted them as they approached. “You'd better not stick around. Rumors of you reached my ears the day before you got here, and I'm sure it got to others even faster. Trust me, get out of here before you get the Makuta of Stelt himself after you.”“Like how a certain Toa of Air got himself into trouble?” said Imlen.“Toa of Air? What Toa of Air?” said the Matoran.“No, it's okay, you can tell us,” said Imlen. “We're... we're friends of his.”“Now you're the one who's lying,” said the Matoran.“So, you were lying first?” said Imlen, and he chuckled. “Alright, we don't really know him, but you can trust us. And you just pointed out how easily rumors spread – we heard about the Toa of Air all the way back in Senjo.”“Senjo? Never heard of it,” said the Matoran. “But settlements come and go as war destroys them. Well, I have not met many Toa, but all the ones I have met have been honorable. I think I can tell you.”“We've met only a few other Toa as well, but I would not define the first one of those we met as honorable,” reminisced Imlen. “Please, tell us about this Toa.”“He came looking for information, like you. He was wondering about the location of some Dark Hunter. He didn't get an answer, because he made enough noise for the Makuta to take notice, and fought back when they sent their goons out to get him. He even tried to rally the people of Stelt against the Brotherhood, something I'd have expected of a Fire-type myself. Of course, the Steltians were too busy fighting themselves to notice and he got himself run off the island. I managed to get him away.”“Sounds like the kind of guy we could use,” commented Paqyar, and Imlen nodded at him.“You have your own boat service?” asked Vilam, surprised.“Oh, yes, we Matoran do well enough here on Stelt,” said the Matoran. “We do good work and stay out of the way, and the Steltians treat us well in return.”“So, where did you take him?” said Imlen.“Just the short distance to the Southern Continent,” said the Matoran, gesturing across the sea to the south. “But he said something about meeting up with his friends there and heading to Nynrah.”“Nynrah, eh?” said Vilam. “We've never been there... darn, it's far off, isn't it?”“Not for my boats,” said the Matoran proudly. “We on Stelt have some of the fastest vessels, probably because of all the people that need to get away quickly.”“Hold on, are you offering to take us to Nynrah?” said Imlen. “We don't have much money, and besides, this Toa might be on the Southern Continent.”“True, but I dropped him off at the Southern Continent almost a week ago. If we head directly to Nynrah, we might still miss him,” said the Matoran of Magnetism. “But my boat can probably go faster than his, so we could catch him if we went straight there. Also, Nynrah is a lot smaller than that whole continent. You're much more likely to find who you're looking for there. As for the cost, I will give you a discount. But I must warn you: to get to Nynrah, we must pass through Dark Hunter seas.”“If you're willing to take that risk, so are we,” said Imlen. “Let's get going.”The Matoran had a small selection of boats, one of which was just the right size for three Toa-sized passengers to travel comfortably in. As with many of the vessels found on Stelt, it was armed with Kanoka launchers, but this particular ship only had two. The Toa hoped they would not have to use them, for the vessel was far from being a frigate. After they accepted the price – a sizable amount, but not more than they could afford – the three of them and the Matoran boarded and set sail. Paqyar thought he saw someone look at them from the docks when they were far away, but they soon turned and sailed out of sight of the shore. He continued to keep watch while the other Toa rested.“So, Matoran – I mean Captain – what's your name anyway?” Paqyar said when they were out in the open sea.“Kyulget,” said the Matoran.“Alright. I'm Paqyar, and she's Vilam, and he's Imlen. So, what makes you so willing to go all the way to Nynrah?”“I guess I just wanted an adventure,” said Kyulget with a shrug. “And I'm getting paid for it, too.”“I'd have thought living on Stelt would be enough of an adventure,” said Paqyar.“That's not an adventure, it's just life. Seriously, it's not bad if you're careful. I'm no warrior, and when battle comes to town I can just sail away until it's over. Besides, the warring factions are usually careful to not destroy the docks. After all, they keep in mind how much Stelt depends on... 'tourism'.”“Now, what about these Dark Hunters?”“Nynrah is south of Odina, their island headquarters. We should be able to avoid Odina itself, but the Dark Hunters will likely be watching the passage. I'll explain it more when we get there.”“Sure. I'd better get some rest too anyway. And I'm thirsty, do you – oh, I have this,” said Paqyar, taking out the drink the Steltian innkeeper had given him. “I guess I told the innkeeper I'd drink it. Wake me up if I start to die, Captain Kyulget.”Paqyar opened the canister and carefully took a sip. It tasted terrible, and he immediately felt ill. He staggered as the boat rocked and a moment later he fell unconscious. A little while later, Kyulget woke him. Paqyar still felt awful. At first he was furious that the innkeeper had tricked him into drinking such poison. Then he remembered the Steltian had actually suggested they wait until they were safe before drinking it. He realized it was a test of sorts – if the Toa had been foolish enough to drink it on Stelt, the innkeeper would have refused to deal with them. They had been wise enough to not trust him, and so they had passed his test. He admired the mischievous deceit of the innkeeper, though he could still not stand up. The trip would take a long time anyway, so Paqyar decided to go back to sleep.The voyage went on uneventfully. A few days later, the boat passed through one of the great Sea Gates. On the other side, they turned south and sailed past the first island of any significant size they had seen since leaving Stelt. The day after that they came to another island. After Kyulget went ashore there and returned with fresh supplies, they continued. About a week after leaving Stelt, the ship passed through another Sea Gate and turned west into a tunnel. Kyulget explained that Odina was nearby, and the passage let travelers bypass the island, leaving the Dark Hunter capital relatively isolated. Still, he expected that Dark Hunters would probably be watching the tunnels, he and warned the Toa.“They'll probably charge a 'toll',” he said. “But don't resist. In fact, stay out of sight. Hopefully they won't search us.”“And if they do?” said Vilam.“If they find you, we'll just hope they aren't too angry about me trying to smuggle you past,” said Kyulget. “Dark Hunters are all different. A few might like to kill Toa just for fun, but most of the ones I've known are more professional than that. But they might decide to kidnap you and hold you for ransom. That's a good way to get money, if there's anyone to pay it.”“Not for us,” said Imlen. “Not many knew about us back home, and we don't know anyone with any real wealth to speak of.”“Tell that to the Dark Hunters,” said the Matoran. “And if ransom doesn't work, they're into... 'alteration' too. Most of their operatives have artificial enhancements of some kind, and they could always use more test subjects. But let's hope we can avoid all that. Now, you'd better go inside.”The Toa agreed, and they went down to the vessel's hold. A short time later, they stopped. The boat thudded against a larger vessel and a clang echoed from above as a gangplank was lowered between the ships. The Toa heard beings board, perhaps two or three of them. They quieted their breath as they heard the Dark Hunters and Kyulget converse.“What's your business here, Matoran?” said a voice that the Toa recognized as belonging to a member of a certain amphibious species.“Traveling to Nynrah,” replied Kyulget.“Are you carrying cargo or passengers?”“I'm alone, just carrying enough supplies for the journey.”“You'd better be telling the truth. We're going to search for ourselves, you know.”The conversation stopped momentarily as the Dark Hunters began to search the vessel. Then Kyulget spoke again. His voice was full of shame, sadness, and resignation. He did not wish to betray the Toa, but there was no way to stop them from being discovered.“Wait,” he said. “I... I'm carrying passengers. Three Toa.”Review

End of YrentaChapter Fifteen==Yrenta Region, Northern Continent, Matoran Universe==~536 AGC~ Imlen, Paqyar, and Vilam had made their way back the way they had come, bypassing the Water village they had rested in three nights ago. On the afternoon of the second day, they had entered Yrenta. Strangely, they had encountered no Brotherhood forces or Dark Hunters the entire way, and there was not even a Visorak to be seen at the border. They walked east for several hours, hoping to meander around the fortresses as they had last time. As they approached the low mesa Kara-Naja was built on, they could see wisps of smoke and flashes of light in the distance. Once in a while, a barely perceptible tremor rumbled under their feet. There was a siege going on, and it looked to be a major battle. Imlen quickened his pace, and the other two did so as well to keep up with him.“It's the Brotherhood alright,” said Paqyar, who could see farther than other Toa. “And it looks like this time they might have brought enough strength to do the job... ten times over.”“It does look like overkill,” said Vilam as they came closer to the besieged fortress. “Dark Hunters are tough, but there's not many of them. Are you sure we should be getting closer, Imlen?”“This is our chance,” said Imlen, and he moved even faster. “I'm not calling those thugs friends, but... we'd better go help the Dark Hunters out, at least for now.”“If they don't kill us first,” Paqyar pointed out.“Right. Maybe we can help the Hunters take out that crazy Ice Toa or someone else important,” said Imlen.“But let's not charge right in,” said Vilam. “We don't want to rush into the midst of battle and get killed. I don't expect it, but it would be a big help if we could convince the Dark Hunters into letting us into the fort.”The Toa debated tactics as they jogged to the fortress. Before they could implement what little planning they had done, however, they were surprised ten bio from the walls. It appeared they were too late to help break the siege, as the Dark Hunters were jumping from the walls and scattering. This was not surprising, for the Hunters were too few in number to effectively defend the fortress, and the Brotherhood army seemed to outnumber them fifty to one. One group of fleeing mercenaries ran past the Toa, nearly trampling them. A group of Brotherhood warriors, consisting of Visorak, a few soldiers and a Rahkshi chased after the Hunters. The Toa acted then, calling for the Dark Hunters to stand their ground and unleashing an attack on their pursuers. A few of the braver Hunters turned to join the Toa, and that group of Brotherhood warriors was eliminated.“Thanks for the help, Toa, I guess,” said one of the Dark Hunters as most of the rest fled.“Yeah, well, we're here to hit the Brotherhood as hard as we can,” said Imlen. “Who's leading the attack?”“'Toa' Zima,” spat the Dark Hunter. “And there was a big one of those Ukzokth creatures, but I think he's dead now.”“Where is – look out!” said Vilam as another Rahkshi came and attacked.Imlen cursed as the other Dark Hunters fled and the one that had spoken with them was frozen in stasis after dodging only two attacks. The Toa did not give the Rahkshi of Stasis Field another chance. When it was destroyed, they broke the Dark Hunter free. He thanked them, but refused to accompany them. As he ran after his comrades, the Toa ran towards the fort. As the Dark Hunters were scattering, so were the Brotherhood forces in an attempt to cut them off or catch them. Also, the Brotherhood would not have had time to completely consolidate their hold of the fortress, and the Toa intended to take advantage of the situation to slip inside. That looked like it would not be so easy, however. Imlen melted a hole in the wall ahead, and a horde of Visorak and warriors poured out. Thinking quickly, he melted away the top of the wall there, so that molten rock poured down into the gap. That barely bought the Toa enough time to run to another side of the fortress. There they saw what they were looking for.A group of elite-looking Dark Hunters was holding position there, fending off the Brotherhood force while other, less capable mercenaries escaped. At the center of the action was the aptly-named Bulwark. He held a launcher the Toa did not recognize in one hand, and in the other he held a shield that projected a force field that deflected every attack. Dozens of Visorak, Rahkshi, Ukzokth, and Urshnolg carcasses littered the ground, along with dead Brotherhood soldiers and a couple wrecked Exo-Toa. Each time a living creature died in the fight, Bulwark's Kanohi glowed and pulled energy out of the fresh corpse, invigorating him. There were only a few dead Dark Hunters, but it looked like that would not last long. A sudden hail of energy bolts downed one more Dark Hunter, and a group of ten Rahkshi charged, led by a bounding Exo-Toa. A group of Visorak followed. The Exo-Toa was moving much more gracefully than the robots usually did, and when it slowed for a moment the Toa could see why. Zima was operating it.Zima, his Rahkshi, and the Visorak fell upon the Dark Hunter squad. By the time the Toa had charged into the battle, the Rahkshi had killed or disabled a few more of the Hunters, and Zima's Exo-Toa had mauled several others. The machine's armor seemed almost as impervious as Bulwark's force field. The Rahkshi and Visorak prevented the three Toa and the other Dark Hunters from interfering as Zima engaged Bulwark. An electro-rocket followed by a series of brutal strikes from the Exo-Toa's claw finished the gradual depletion of the titan's force field, causing it to fade, but by then the Exo-Toa had been nearly destroyed by the miniature rockets Bulwark had been launching at it. Zima took a step back, and in one fluid motion, he ejected from the ruined machine and over his opponent's head. As Bulwark turned, a Visorak launched a Rhotuka at his back, but the titan resisted its effects.As Bulwark and Zima sparred, the lone Visorak ran around the Dark Hunter and jumped onto his shield, dragging it down. Bulwark quickly threw the Rahi off and blasted it, but that left a fatal breach in his defenses. The Toa of Ice took the opportunity to lunge forward and stab him in the shoulder, causing his shield arm to go limp. He followed with a kick to the knee, and the Dark Hunter fell onto his back. To finish, Zima stepped onto Bulwark and plunged his spear under his opponent's chin. The Dark Hunter's mask was knocked off by the force, and the spear pierced his head. Bulwark was slain, and only two of the Dark Hunters that had stood with him were left, though along with their temporary Toa allies they had taken down many Visorak and six of the Rahkshi. Imlen and his friends knew was time for them to flee once again. Before Zima removed his spear from the dead Dark Hunter commander, the other Toa blasted him with a combined elemental attack and ran while he was distracted.“Run!” Imlen called as the Toa fled, dodging the attacks of the remaining Visorak and Rahkshi.He hoped that the Dark Hunters would follow, but to his frustration one of them attempted to take out the Toa of Ice before he recovered. No doubt a more skilled operative could have succeeded, but that one stood no chance. Just by slowing, she allowed a hail of energy bolts and Rhotuka to batter her. Zima finished, freezing the Dark Hunter and shattering her as the other Toa had seen him do earlier. The sole remaining Hunter attempted to split off from Imlen's group, but the Toa followed him. Imlen knew splitting up was a good choice to avoid being caught, but also knew he and his friends could use all the help they could get. Zima and the four remaining Rahkshi continued to pursue them, and the Toa knew they could not defeat them alone. Still, the Dark Hunter was outrunning them even as Zima and the Rahkshi were catching up. And the Dark Hunter had no reason to help three Toa he didn't know. Imlen wished it had been that Vortixx again.“Maybe we can take them out if we make a stand together!” he called.The Dark Hunter ignored him, as he expected. He was not even confident himself that the four of them would prevail anyway. Just the three Toa were even less likely to survive, but he knew that they had to try. They could not keep running and dodging forever. He called for a stop, and he and his teammates turned in unison and attacked. Imlen started by surrounding Zima and the others in a cloud of plasma, which Vilam electrified. Zima burst out from the cloud, and Paqyar rained arrows down on him which grew into grasping thorns. The Toa of Ice sent out an aura of cold that froze the plants solid and leveled his spear at Paqyar. The Toa of the Green dodged to avoid the same fate as his plants, but was struck by an energy bolt from a red Rahkshi. Fear overcame him and he ran, screaming. Another Rahkshi stretched forward as if its metal body had turned elastic and knocked Imlen down.Vilam defended Imlen as he got up, and by now the Toa of Plasma had let his cloud disperse. It had slowed the Rahkshi down, but none of them seemed damaged much by it. One of the Rahkshi took off and flew after Paqyar. Vilam tried to shoot it down, but it ignored her lightning and flew out of range. Imlen released a stream of plasma at Zima, but he dodged. The fourth Rahkshi stepped forward and morphed into a shape with claws and fangs. Zima attacked again, freezing Imlen, and Imlen immediately vaporized the ice to free himself. He knew that as long as he had elemental power left, he would not be defeated that way. But the Toa of Ice was using his powers more conservatively. Imlen would run out first. Zima had years – probably millennia – of experience, and Imlen realized that Zima's Kanohi Suletu let him read his opponent's thoughts, giving him more of an advantage.“I can't hit Zima,” he said to Vilam. “Take out the Rahkshi one by one.”By now, Vilam was already battling the Rahkshi. She parried the claws of the Rahkshi of Shapeshifting while avoiding the energy bolts of the Rahkshi of Fear. The Rahkshi of Elasticity twisted around Imlen, constricting him. Imlen forced it to release him by releasing a wave of plasma, but that slowed him down enough so that Zima froze him again. This time he broke free with his own physical strength before the ice could fully form. Then the Toa of Ice ceased attacking at range and moved into melee combat. Imlen deflected his spearhead with his staff, but he could not maintain his defense for long. The Toa of Ice was too fast and skilled. He tried forming an obscuring cloud of plasma, but as he expected Zima countered by lowering the temperature, causing the glowing plasma to turn into normal air. Vilam had managed to slice off one of the shapeshifted Rahkshi's claws, but was barely withstanding the assault of the machines.Meanwhile, Paqyar had not gone far before the other Rahkshi caught up to him. The Turahk's power had put him into a nightmare, and all he could do was run. He felt like he was suffocating – and that was when he realized he really was suffocating. Realizing that it was this lone Rahkshi that was sucking the air away, he snapped out of the dream. He did not have much time to act. His plants would not survive in a vacuum, so the Rahkshi had a strong advantage over him. But that vacuum power could also be used against it. Paqyar reached for a quiver full of arrows he had made earlier, with heads made of sharpened scrap metal. Instead of taking out a single arrow, he grabbed an entire handful of arrows and tossed them in the direction of the Rahkshi. As he planned, the suction of the Rahkshi's staff pulled the arrows towards it before it could react. Most of the arrows did no damage, but a few penetrated the Rahkshi's arms and body enough to slow it down. It ceased maintaining the vacuum, and Paqyar took a deep breath.Then he called upon his elemental power. The vines he summoned around the Rahkshi of Vacuum wilted and died as the Rahkshi cut air off from them, but Paqyar only intended that as a distraction. One by one, he used his Mask of Rebounding to retrieve a few of the arrows he had thrown. Then he shot them as hard as he could at the Rahkshi's head. The machine created a force of suction to pull the arrows off course, causing each of them to bounce off its staff. Then it released the absorbed air with a blast that knocked Paqyar down. It ran forward to the Toa and stood over him. The Rahkshi began to suffocate him again, and the arrow trick would not work at this close range. Instead, as the Rahkshi leaned in close, he reached above its head and summoned a heavy block of wood. The block fell and struck the Rahkshi in the head, causing it to fall forward on top of Paqyar. The Toa of the Green grabbed it and quickly summoned some plants to tear the machine's head off.The Rahkshi's Kraata slithered out. Before Paqyar could crush it, the Kraata released a sudden blast of air. Paqyar nearly fell over again, but without the Rahkshi armor to protect it and amplify its power, the Kraata was no match for him. The Toa shrugged off the wind the Makuta-spawn created and squashed it. Then he ran back to his friends. When he arrived, one of the Rahkshi, the Turahk, was destroyed. Vilam had used the Mask of Fusion to merge with Imlen, but Zima and the two remaining Rahkshi were still more than a match for them. Vilam's concentration was being eroded, and as Paqyar rejoined the battle, the amalgam of the two Toa split apart. Vilam started to collapse, and Paqyar helped her remain standing. Zima was ready for that, and he froze them in a second. Imlen used the last of his elemental power to melt them free. Paqyar began to shower the Rahkshi with arrows, and the Rahkshi morphed and stretched into forms with narrower profiles, making themselves far harder to hit.“Vilam, we need you,” said Imlen as he smashed through a layer of ice Zima started to form around him. “Use your mask again, help us merge.”A moment later, it was too late for that. Zima froze Imlen solid, and Vilam was cut off from Paqyar by the Rahkshi. Clearing her mind, she took an alternative option. Before Zima could shatter the frozen Toa of Plasma, Vilam activated her mask as she charged the Toa of Ice. For once, Zima was taken completely off guard. He struggled mentally, and he had great practice, but Vilam was driven by the great will to live and to save her friends. For a few seconds, she had nearly absolute control of the fusion, enough time for her to weaken the ice around Imlen and slow the two Rahkshi with an aura of frost. Zima focused himself and threw his psyche against Vilam's, causing them to separate, but by then Imlen had broken free and moved to help Paqyar. He pummeled the Rahkshi from behind, distracting them while Paqyar entangled them. The Toa of Ice and the Toa of Lightning nearly fainted as the fusion was dissolved. Zima recovered faster, but as he got up, Paqyar and Imlen had already picked up Vilam and fled.“That was way too close,” said Paqyar as Vilam recovered enough to run with them.“Thank you, Vilam,” said Imlen. “That sudden trick saved us.”“I'm thankful it worked,” said Vilam. “And surprised, too.”“I feel like a pretty lousy Toa for being so outclassed by that Zima,” said Paqyar. “I guess Vibrak was right, we aren't ready for this.”“And I think it might be too late to ask the Dark Hunters for help,” said Vilam. “I'm not sure how many survived, but without Bulwark, they might just leave Yrenta.”“That would be best for them at this point,” said Imlen. “The Brotherhood's cracking down way too hard on them here. And... the same goes for us.”“You think we should leave Yrenta?” asked Paqyar, and Imlen nodded. “And go where?”“Anywhere that fulfills two requisites,” said Imlen with a shrug. “One, we're needed there, and two, we can survive there. And right now, Yrenta fits the first, but not the second. Let's move faster if we can, I'm not sure if that crazy 'Toa' is still after us.”Review

The Elda can be useful too, for seeing invisible beings, but the Mask of Truth can also do that and is more common. Personally, I can't think of a favorite mask power, they all have their uses and cool things about them. One thing I would have done differently about the masks is make two kinds of the Mask of Telepathy: one that works as it already does, as a short-range telepathy and mind reading mask, and one that works over long range and cannot read thoughts other than those your target allows you to.

I thought a Toa wearing a mask that has the same elemental powers that the Toa already has was uselessly redundant, unless the mask had unique powers as the Mask of Light does. But anyway, as it was said above, Takanuva himself is no more powerful than any other Toa, it's just that his element is especially dangerous to Makuta, Rahkshi, and other beings of Shadow.

It does effect things other than Protodermis. Its potential was discovered on Spherus Magna when some Agori, objects, and creatures were destroyed or transformed by it.

Thanks for catching that, I'll have to go and correct those incorrect pronouns.As for the Turaga, giving up their Toa power (their Toa energy is what is meant in that context, not elemental power) is one of two prerequisites for becoming a Turaga. The other is completing your special destiny as a Toa. For example, this is the reason Lhikan was still a Toa when he was delivering the Toa stones which he had already imbued with his Toa power -- he was destined as a Toa to bring the Toa Metru into existence. If you read the previous story, you'll see that that character gives up that energy long before his destiny is complete, and so he was destined to be a Toa until that particular time.

Oh, good point about Botar. And if any of the guards needed to leave for some reason, he could be called on to get them out. So there's no reason for an actual door to anywhere else, you're right.As for the Zyglak, this comic shows they moved into the Pit after it broke open. BS01 also says they are amphibious and immune to the Pit Mutagen.So, Voya Nui was much smaller than that Matoran Universe map shows. That was my original question, so thanks guys. Am I supposed to have this topic closed now?

Thanks. There were Zyglak in the pit. There was probably a way back into the Matoran Universe through there, but it would be sealed and/or guarded by Zyglak. If it was open, I expect there would be another waterfall.It seems ironic to me that a place called the Pit would be above the sky of the rest of the universe. It's a good place to put it, though, because if the prisoners manage to get out, there are only two places to go -- the outside the robot, which is likely to be in space or underwater, and the sky above the Southern Continent.

End of YrentaChapter Fourteen==Lands West of Yrenta, Northern Continent, Matoran Universe==~536 AGC~ Imlen landed with a thud. He had a badly twisted ankle but was otherwise unharmed. He managed to stand up and reached for the rim of the pit. It was just out of reach, but the other Toa came to pull him out. When he was back on the surface, he inspected his injured ankle while the other two Toa looked at the trap. It was obviously just that, and not a natural hole. It had been disguised by a mat of earth held together by the grass growing in it. Curiously, this patch of false ground was attached to a vine, which had made a peculiar sound when the trap was sprung. If there were any De-Matoran in the area, they would have heard and recognized it. And they were quick to respond. While Imlen was sitting and Paqyar and and Vilam were examining the trap, a Matoran of Sonics came forth. He carried a spear, which he held boldly in front of him. He had been hiding somewhere nearby, but the Toa could not tell where. That was good, they supposed, that the Matoran had learned to be so stealthy. The Toa stood up, though Imlen was a little unsteady, and addressed the Matoran quietly.“Greetings, De-Matoran,” whispered Imlen.“Hello, Toa,” replied the De-Matoran nervously, still holding his weapon at the ready.“You can put that away,” said Imlen. “We're friends, and we've been looking for you.”“For me?” said the Matoran, confused. “Why?”“For your entire village,” said Vilam. “It is here, isn't it?”“So you know, then,” sighed the Matoran. “How did you find us?”“It wasn't easy. But don't worry,” said Paqyar. “We're allies, as he said.”“What do you want with us, though? We are only Matoran.”“You left Yrenta centuries ago, and we would like to know why, and what has happened since,” said Imlen. “Also, we wonder if you know what happened to Toa Vibrak in the end.”“Toa Vibrak?” said the Matoran, tilting his head to the side. “It has been a long time since we've had a Toa Vibrak. But I think our Turaga Vibrak would like to speak with you.”The Toa exchanged glances. So, Vibrak was alive, and had become a Turaga! The Matoran led them a short distance to a slope leading down the middle of a small chasm. As they entered, they found it was much larger inside, almost like a cave. The slope was rather steep, and Imlen stumbled as they descended. His friends caught him, and he told the Matoran about the minor injury he had sustained falling into the trap. The villager flashed Imlen an apologetic look, then nodded and showed them the safest places to step on the way down. The De-Matoran moved with barely a sound, but despite their best efforts the footsteps of the Toa echoed through the gorge. They could see several other De-Matoran below look up and stare. They were surprised that an entire village could fit in such a place, even a small, narrow one. Most of the buildings were small huts, which formed rows of two or three each that spanned the gorge's bottom from wall to wall with room to walk between them. There were a few larger buildings, and in some places the Toa could see light coming from windows in the chasm's walls.“Turaga Vibrak should be around there,” whispered their guide when they reached the bottom, and he pointed to one of the larger buildings. “I will take you to see him now.”Imlen nodded, and the Toa found they could move more quietly on the level ground at the bottom. No doubt they were loud enough for everyone in the village to hear them, but the De-Matoran looked less annoyed now, and now just curious. A few of them went back to whatever they had been doing before. Paqyar noticed something strange in their behavior. After studying them for a moment, he realized it almost looked like they were moving slightly to an unseen rhythm. No one was actually dancing, however, and the Toa of the Green decided he must have been mistaken. But as they came close to the building their guide had indicated, he thought he heard something just on the edge of his audio perception. Still, he half dismissed it as his imagination until the De-Matoran led the three Toa inside and to a porch at the back of the building.A villager was sitting on the steps, facing away from the Toa. He was strumming on a stringed instrument the Toa could not clearly hear until they were right behind him. He must have heard them coming like everyone else, but he chose to remain seated until that moment. Then he got up carefully and turned. As he stood before them, the Toa could see that he was no Matoran. They knew at once he must have been Turaga Vibrak. The Turaga studied them in turn, looking from their feet to their masks then back down again. A faint smile flickered beneath his mask, but quickly vanished and he grunted regretfully. He spoke, and his voice was soft in tone and volume, yet rough in an aged sort of way.“Hello, Toa,” he said, politely yet grimly. “You have come a long way to find us.”“Yes, and we have come looking for answers,” said Imlen. “I am Imlen, and this is Paqyar, and this is Vilam. Now, first: the De-Matoran left our homeland, and you led them, didn't you? Why?”“Because it was too dangerous there, obviously,” said Vibrak. “I expect you are on a quest to free your homeland – my old homeland. That will be difficult, if not impossible, but I suppose I should not discourage you. Very well. It seems to me you have already deduced much, but I will tell you briefly how my brothers died, and the disaster struck, and I led my people away. Do you recall when we disappeared from Yrenta?”“Kryaju was killed two years before,” said Imlen with a nod. “So it was you, Spiileus, and Lidon who went underground. We found the place where you confronted that titan of fire, and we found the bodies of your brothers.”“Yes, Lidon was the first to die, and Spiileus soon followed,” said the Turaga sadly. “I would have been the second to die, had it not been for the late Toa – Turaga – of Earth. You see, although only Lidon and the giant were killed immediately, all of us were mortally wounded in the quake. I was injured more severely than Spiileus, so I could do nothing to resist as he poured his inner Toa energy into me, healing my wounds. But we had achieved our Toa destinies at that moment, and it was time for both of us to become Turaga, as I had expended my Toa power long ago. His healing saved me, but I could not do the same for him. All I could do was try to drag him to safety, but his injuries and the strain of the transformation were too much for him, and he soon died.”“I see now what you meant on his epitaph,” said Vilam. “A shame it remained so hidden.”“I am so sorry I did not announce what had happened,” said Vibrak. “But I knew something terrible had happened, and that there was nothing I could do to stop what would follow. And so I secretly traveled back to my people and led them away. I knew I could not do the same for all the other villages, but that I could trust the De-Matoran to keep to themselves.”“In some ways I wish you hadn't. But I know that your people would have been targeted by the Makuta if you had remained in Yrenta with them,” said Imlen. “And at least you were able to bring them with you in your exile. Speaking of which, we have found Turaga Morok, alive, but Turaga Siok has disappeared, and may have left Yrenta.”“And Morok managed to go into isolation without abandoning his homeland!” said Paqyar, raising his voice, and many nearby De-Matoran stared at him and covered their ears. “Don't you think if you had worked together, you would have brought new Toa to Yrenta much sooner? Instead, we found the way on our own, and it might be five hundred years too late. We can't fight the Makuta – and his Visorak, and his Rahkshi, and some crazy Toa he has working for him – they all chased us out of Yrenta!”“Please, quiet,” urged Vibrak. “You are right, and I am sorry. I was thinking only of fleeing, and saving those I cared about most. I realize that hopeless, selfish thinking does no good when it allows a shadow to flourish that may consume us all. I mean, we are safe here, for now, but for how long? Long ago I came to realize that we cannot hide forever, but all I could do was wait and hope – for new heroes, such as you. But you have another point, Toa of the Green. Even if the three of you were to become skilled enough to best Makuta Teskor, as Tanu, Morok, and Siok did, it would not be enough. He has too many minions, and brothers that will avenge him. You will need to plan carefully, for removing him will not free Yrenta.”“You knew that the war against the Dark Hunters has come to Yrenta, right?” asked Vilam, and Vibrak nodded. “Do you think we could play those two against each other some how? The Hunters are after revenge. If we could help them get it, and drive the Brotherhood from Yrenta, that would be a step in the right direction. The Dark Hunters are not rulers. They might try to extort us somehow, but if we made it so that Yrenta was not worth keeping, for either side...”“If we make trouble for the Dark Hunters, they will kill us just as eagerly as the Makuta,” said Imlen.“Our lives might be what it takes,” said Vilam. “But the Hunters are not as well equipped for making the lives of every Matoran miserable.”“Unless they have a way to kill them all at once or something,” said Paqyar.“Toa Vilam has some good ideas,” said Vibrak. “Pitting two enemies against each other is a good way to have one defeated and the other weakened. But Toa are not manipulators, not like these villains. You have already left Yrenta, and this conflict spans the universe. I would advise you to not only rely on mutual enemies, and to look for more allies of your own.”“Like who?” said Paqyar. “We can't drag Matoran into this, and there aren't any races that live around here.”“You mean other Toa,” said Imlen. “But where can we find them?”“I do not know exactly, but we hear rumors of some passing through every few decades, sometimes more frequently,” said Vibrak. “None have come to us, before you, of course. I suggest you travel the continent, assisting the locals when you can, to gather allies.”“I don't like that idea,” said Imlen. “Leaving Yrenta for a short time is one thing, but a life of wandering the continent? I won't abandon my homeland.”“I agree,” said Paqyar. “Our goal is to make life better for the Matoran of Yrenta, and I don't see how not being there will help them.”“Will your presence there be of any help?” argued Vibrak. “Think, Paqyar. You three cannot fulfill your quest on your own. And consider the others out there that need your help. Matoran everywhere need the protection of Toa. Your duty is not only to your homeland.”The Toa and the Turaga debated about this a little longer, but the outcome was clear from the beginning. Imlen and Paqyar were adamant about returning to Yrenta immediately, and Vilam was undecided. She wanted to stay for a while, days if necessary, and give the matter more consideration, but the other Toa would not allow it. And so, after spending the night there, allowing the Toa of Plasma's ankle to heal, the Toa set off. Vibrak tried to discourage them each time he spoke, but it was no use. When the time came to say goodbye, he mumbled it, then sat down on the steps again and began to play another song. The Toa could not hear the notes, but they noticed a mood of sadness and regret permeate the village. The De-Matoran seemed to be mourning the loss of their would-be heroes already. Imlen was determined to prove them wrong. ----- Makuta Teskor teleported himself and his reinforcements into the fortress in which he was marshaling his legion in Yrenta. There the units he had acquired from his fellow Makuta merged with the ranks of his own forces. Along with a few platoons of soldiers and Visorak, the additional units consisted of four Exo-Toa, large machines that could function autonomously or as power armor for Toa, and four of Makuta Anecrax's best Rahkshi, donated to replace those Zima had lost to the Dark Hunters. Teskor knew that his brothers had not let him 'borrow' these units out of generosity. Every one of them had ulterior motives. Some of them were more dedicated to Makuta Teridax's Plan than others, but most of them were ultimately dedicated to themselves. Teskor knew that well, as he was one of that majority. He arranged his forces so that none of the borrowed platoons had a vital role, and so that if any of them, Visorak, Rahkshi, soldier or Exo-Toa, tried anything funny, they would be easily eliminated. A mutiny by them would still cause trouble, but he had done his best to minimize the risk, and he doubted the Makuta he had enlisted the aid of would betray him in such a way.“Warriors of the Brotherhood of Makuta!” he addressed them once the legion was assembled. “You know what you are here for. The criminal syndicate known as the Dark Hunters has dared to take and hold one of our fortresses. They are stubborn, and have refused to yield to our initial attempts to retake the fortress. But today the Brotherhood of Makuta will work together to cast them out! And let me ask you something. How many times have you clashed with Toa? Not many? Well, they are much less common than they used to be, and with good reason. These so-called heroes, once our reluctant allies, have long stood against us. They honor an absurd Code above the need to do what must be done, and would prevent the Makuta – and all of you – from taking what is rightfully ours. But though most Toa regrettably hold to these beliefs, a few have remained loyal. One of these is the elite Toa of Ice, my own personal Hagah, Toa Zima. And he will be your commander. He will raise the banner of the Makuta over Kara-Naja once again, and the many Toa that oppose us will see this and despair!”The legion cheered, but not as enthusiastically as Teskor would have liked. He knew that many of the soldiers were mercenaries, no less than the Dark Hunters were, and did not care much for the Makuta, as long as they got their pay. Also, being led by a Toa would be awkward for all of them, especially the Ukzokth. The goblins' numbers had dwindled, but they were cheap to replace, and so Teskor had begun to use them as expendable combatants. He had even released Grungzarg from stasis, rebuilt him, and reinstated him as leader of the horde. The towering Ukzokth champion would lead his people to war with the others, mounted on the back of a hideous beast. Attempts to do anything novel to the Steltian lieutenant had failed, although impressive alterations had been made to others of his kind. In the end, Teskor had decided to use a method of Makuta Mutran's and salvaged what was left of the subject's mind and body to create Grungzarg's mount.The only warriors that were not uncomfortable at all about Zima were the Exo-Toa, of course. The Exo-Toa were designed to be used by Toa, and they could be programmed to obey anyone. In fact, Makuta Teskor had reserved one of his own Exo-Toa for Zima. The animated armor was a big target and hindered elemental powers, but granted a Toa additional protection and immense strength, and their electro-rockets could shoot farther than Zima could launch ice. Teskor knew Zima would use the machine wisely, and discard it if necessary. He took the Toa of Ice aside to speak to him one last time before the Toa went to lead the legion forth.“Remember, the Dark Hunters may be holding your traitorous kin in the fortress,” he reminded Zima. “Have them killed. Do not allow them to escape.”“Yes, Master,” said Zima, bowing slightly. “To verify: primary objective is to eliminate the Dark Hunters in the fortress and the surrounding area. Secondary objective is to eliminate the Toa, if they are there. Tertiary objective is to leave the fortress as intact as possible while achieving the other two objectives. Correct?”“That is correct,” confirmed Teskor. “Do you remember how to operate an Exo-Toa?”“I do,” said Zima as he nodded.“Very well. And remember to be prepared for any trouble from the additional units I acquired,” said the Makuta. “They or the Makuta that sent them may be... defective.”“I will, Master,” said Zima.“Excellent,” said Teskor. “Now, go, lead our forces to battle.”Zima entered the specially marked Exo-Toa and took his place at the front of the legion. As the fortress's gate opened and his forces marched through it, Teskor reflected again on how the last thousand years had changed him. Before Zima had proven his worth, Teskor would have done anything (to others) to exterminate the Toa from the universe entirely. Long ago he had hated how he could never be the hero of the people he watched over and maintained the ecosystem for, because he did not have a Toa's selflessness, honor, and kindness, and knew he never would have. The disgraceful way the Makuta were skipped over in the common peoples' reverence for the powerful beings of the universe was still the original motivation for the Brotherhood's plans. But now Teskor knew to not let his jealousy blind him. He would have what he wanted, but he needed to plan carefully to get it, not angrily smash everything that stood in his way.Review

That's a good point about how the hole Voya Nui left in the roof of Karda Nui is not the same as the one it left in the Southern Continent. But if it the hole in Karda Nui was much smaller, the water would get backed up and start to flood the rest of the universe. This would only be a big deal if the hole to the ocean was really big, however.So the picture of the Matoran universe that depicts Voya Nui as about half of the continent is wrong? I'm not sure if Christian Faber's drawings show the official size, as they are concept art, but that size does make more sense. Also, this just gave me another question. Where is the Pit? I think it's above the sky dome of the Southern Continent, right under Mata Nui's outer layer, but I'm not sure.

Thanks, Toa Sonis! This is actually not my first epic, it is the last in a series. (See my story collection topic.) Of course, the earlier ones are probably poorer in writing quality, but I recommend you read them in order.As for your complaint -- d'oh! I haven't noticed that. I reread my chapters before I post them, and never noticed. Can you find an example of that error?

I've read that Voya Nui took up a large part of the Southern Continent, and I'm not sure how accurate that is. It did not have many Matoran living on it, but I know that continent was sparsely populated anyway. But still, I think if it was that big the Matoran Karzahni sent there would have not been so isolated. Also, wouldn't the hole made by a large chunk of a continent have caused much more flooding than what the waterfall depicted? I think that would cause flooding to fill Karda Nui much sooner than in a thousand years, and maybe the rest of the Matoran Universe too. The rest of the continent at least would be dominated by a massive downpour hundreds of miles across. So is it really that big and was the Southern Continent and the dome-sky over it really that messed up, or was it a smaller region with a proportionally smaller disaster when it shot to the surface?